


Nobody Else But Me

by SeparationBoundary



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Aftermath of BDSM WITHOUT aftercare, Anal Sex, Binging/purging, Bulimia, Character Death, ED Trigger Warning, ED triggering language, EDs, Eating Disorder, Escort Erwin, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Illness, Influenza, Jealousy, M/M, Masturbation, Mention of past ignored safeword in BDSM, NOT Levi or Erwin, Pneumonia, Power Imbalance, Prostitute Levi, Prostitution, Sickness, Top Levi, Voyeurism, bottom erwin, mention of past rape, mention of past sexual abuse, off screen BDSM
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:48:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28638777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeparationBoundary/pseuds/SeparationBoundary
Summary: Erwin is a high-priced escort who is struggling with an eating disorder and who is bored and dissatisfied with his life.  One day he witnesses an altercation on the street and his life changes.
Relationships: Levi/Erwin Smith
Comments: 88
Kudos: 203





	1. Just another day, just another job

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everybody! I hope you are all safe and well, especially my American people! Things are crazy right now, stay secure!
> 
> I will be publishing this first chapter today but I will be reverting to my 'regular' schedule of Sunday and Wednesday afterwords. So chapter 2 will be out Sunday, chapter 3 on Wednesday, and so on. Happy reading!

And I don't have the right  
To ask where you go at night  
But the waves hit my head  
To think someone's in your bed

Miike Snow

Prologue

Monday -  
Erwin Smith stood like a blond god by the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the city. From this height and this late at night the whole town was just blurry blobs of color floating in the darkness. He was drinking a tall, cool flute of champagne and loving every sip. It was a very good brand. Erwin appreciated very good things.   
He shifted his hips, the silky fabric of his panties rubbing his cock, and tried to get in the mood. He had to concentrate. His tall, broad frame was completely naked except for black silk underpants, a black lace garter that rode low on his hips, and long, silky, black stockings with the seams up the back. It didn’t bother Erwin. He’d been asked to dress in worse. She had requested it. It was a kink of hers. No problem. He felt that the black stockings accentuated his stupidly long legs, anyway. He hated shaving though.  
Get in the mood, Smith.  
His client, at 59 wasn’t the most nubile or attractive partner but that wasn’t his problem. His job—and he was paid well for it—was to please. And please he would.  
He shifted from foot to foot. His feet, encased in size 13 black stilettos, were beginning to ache. Time to be horizontal.  
He downed the rest of the glass of champagne. “Carol, darling? Did you fall in? I’m dying out here!” He injected a little note of petulance at the last statement.  
Glancing at the bed to make sure it was perfect, Erwin palmed his thick cock encouragingly. A giggle sounded from inside the bathroom.  
“Coming, precious!”  
His client fairly erupted from the bathroom, grey curls bobbing excitedly on her head, eager grin across her face. She was completely naked as well except for a thin, silken dressing gown that flapped open at the front. Her small breasts flopped like half-empty purses against her thin chest.  
Erwin turned on his signature 100-watt smile and drew close in a sensuous glide.   
Just another day.   
Just another job.

Chapter 1 

Wednesday -   
Erwin stood in front of his full-length mirror and adjusted his brown pinstriped Armani suit. He’d just come from working out in his very expensive gym (the cost of which made him grimace, plus he hated working out.) He’d taken a long, luxurious shower and finally gotten dressed.  
He had also eaten a pint of Super Chunk Chocolate Fudge ice cream and then made himself throw it back up. He carefully didn’t think about that.   
He was going slowly he realized; he’d had his tie in his hand for five minutes. He had to put it on eventually. He hesitated and looked at himself in the mirror.  
At 6’2” with broad shoulders, a trim waist, and white-blonde hair crisply swept to one side, he could easily have passed for a CEO or a banker or a lawyer.   
He mulled that over, staring at his reflection.   
He hated his job. Hated what he did. Hated who he was.  
He crumpled the silk of his tie in one fist and then threw it away from himself in frustration.  
It wasn’t the sex. The sex was—generally—fine and he wasn’t a bit ashamed of that aspect of his life. There was nothing wrong with sex or getting paid for sex. It could be a commodity like any other.  
It was the way he was seen. As an object, as a toy to be played with as wanted. He hated that.  
Erwin was smart and witty and knowledgeable on many subjects yet when he spoke at parties or bars or restaurants on the arm of a wealthy client he was looked at with a sort of amused pity as if there was no way he could have anything remotely interesting to contribute to the conversation.

He could have been a CEO or a lawyer if he’d had the inclination. Instead, he hadn’t been worried about it. He had been the heir apparent to the empire his maternal grandfather had built and when his father died when he was twelve, he’d gone to live with his formidable grandmother.  
From the time he was 16 or so Erwin was sure of his sexuality and cognizant of the looks he got when he moved around a room in his grandmother’s house during one of her lavish parties. Erwin was pretty and he knew it. By the time he was 19, he had begun making a bit of extra cash eating out a frustrated trophy wife, or fucking a family man.  
Then, at 26, Erwin learned that his grandmother was bankrupt and broke. Her lavish lifestyle had burned through all of the assets she’d been left. The money was gone.  
Erwin turned to the only means of making money he knew how.

Erwin carefully smoothed one eyebrow, marshaling the hairs into place. He wouldn’t think about any of that now. He’d think about it later. He had a job to do right now. He pursed his lips and pulled a wrinkle out of his coat. He looked magnificent. Would people approve? Like what they saw?  
He chose another tie and put it on, checking himself one last time in front of the mirror then sat on the edge of his crisply made bed to put on his shoes.  
He looked at his watch. Time to go.

Erwin made good money at what he did but he spent the majority of it on looks. He had to keep up appearances after all. He got paid to look good and part of looking good was expensive haircuts, pedicures, and manicures, costly clothes, and a high-end gym membership. It also included a reasonably fancy apartment. No one wanted to pick up a paid-for date at some run-down building.

His client was picking him up tonight. A married man and high up in politics, he picked Erwin up in a rental car and then they went to a motel. Not a hotel. A seedy motel. For someone with so much money, he was a cheapskate. So long as he paid Erwin his fee, Erwin didn’t care.

If you asked Erwin he would confess that though he lived within his means he was just within. All of the trappings of his job were expensive and being an escort, even a high-end one, was difficult. First of all, most clients wanted a female escort. The number of wealthy women or men who were willing to be seen with a paid date who was male were much, much fewer than the throngs desiring a woman. Also, Erwin was older than average. At 34 he was quickly reaching the limit of his ability to find clients. Most wanted nubile young men; hungry, buff, stupid, and eager to please. Only a select few preferred Erwin’s style and sophistication that came from experience. Most just wanted to show off a partner then have a quick fuck.  
Not that Erwin wasn’t up to the fucking part. He was well known as a person well versed in the art of seduction and sex but the appeal of a hot-blooded younger man prevailed.

Because of this mindset Erwin spent almost every cent he had on his own upkeep and had to take almost every job he was offered. Blowjobs under a millionaire CEOs desk or fucking the wife of another man while he watched. It was all the same to Erwin.  
Just another day.  
Just another job.

Friday-  
Erwin unlocked the door to his apartment and slipped in, closing it behind himself with a sigh. For a moment he leaned against the closed door, his head on his forearm, grimacing.  
Finally, he pushed off the door and walked gingerly to his bedroom. Tonight had been his last client of the week and he was glad. Very glad. He purposely took several days off after this one client.

He peeled his clothes off slowly and carefully, taking time to check his suit and hang it up. Then he shuffled to the bathroom.

This was always one of the hardest parts after being with this particular type of client; the shower.  
Erwin winced as he stepped under the lukewarm spray, turning slowly to bare his abused backside to the water. When he finally did and had gotten used to it a bit he could relax.  
He knew what it looked like, he’d already inspected himself in front of the big, full-length mirror in his bedroom. A ragged flurry of roughly horizontal red stripes ran from the small of his back over his ass and down his thighs to the backs of his knees. Some were deep red stripes, some swollen welts, others were narrow open wounds and crusted over with dried blood  
Erwin frowned and leaned against the tile wall as he had against the front door. He had warned his client about leaving open wounds. If any of these were to scar his fair skin, it would be a huge turn-off for other clients. He was damned lucky that the blood had only gotten on his undershirt and underpants and not his expensive suit.  
He straightened and reached for the soap.  
Just another day.  
Just another job.


	2. "How much?"

Erwin was getting progressively more irritated. He stood, leaned with one elbow on the bar, while the absolute oaf of a client spoke; too loud, too animatedly. In fact, his drunken gesticulations had flung some tiny drops of his drink onto the lapel of Erwin’s $3000 Dolce and Gabbana suit and Erwin was worried that he wouldn’t be able to get it out. He smiled thinly at the man, who was paid up for the night, and wished desperately for him to simply pass out. Erwin would even be satisfied with refunding his money after this ordeal.  
He swirled his drink and looked out over the bar. He was very overdressed and that irritated him as well. He was capable of picking out a suitable wardrobe for a job. Of course, this was not the sort of place he normally came to. He was used to a more … elegant setting.  
Making up his mind, he laid his big hands on the client’s stringy arm and pouted prettily. “Darling, aren’t you ready to go?”  
The man drew back and focussed on him with difficulty. After several seconds he caught up. “Of course, of course! Whatever you say my drer … dare … dear.” He threaded one arm through Erwin’s muscular one and tossed a wad of money on the bar for the tab.  
By the time they had collected the man’s coat and Erwin had helped him stumble out onto the street, Erwin was sure that there would be no sex tonight. The client could barely stand much less get an erection. Erwin smiled to himself.  
They stood crookedly at the curb as Erwin looked in vain for a cab. There were a few cars and a few patrons wandering about but not a taxi in sight. Erwin cursed under his breath and, grabbing his client up under the arm and hitching him up a bit more, took out his phone and rang for an Uber.

Everything that happened immediately after that, happened so quickly that Erwin almost didn't follow it.  
“Come back here, you asshole!”  
Erwin jumped and whipped his head toward the shout.  
A short, fat man waddled quickly, gasping, out of a nearby alleyway. He wasn’t watching where he was going but looking over his shoulder. He stumbled straight for Erwin as he stood at the curb. Erwin gaped. As the fat man got close he almost fell and Erwin instinctively snatched his client out of the man’s way.   
A second later, a small, dark, bundle of fury exploded out of the same alley the other man had appeared from and made a beeline for him. The small man never slowed but bowled into the fat man, knocking him down onto the pavement right at Erwin’s feet. They rolled on the cement, the small man cursing and scrabbling at the other. The fat man ended up on his back, the small man straddling him. He punched the fat man in the face three or four times in quick succession. The blood flew and Erwin gasped.  
“Give me my money you fat fuck!”  
There was no more struggle. The overweight man shoved a twenty-dollar bill up at the other man immediately. “Here! Here! Don’t hurt me anymore, please!”  
Erwin was stunned. He’d never witnessed violence this close up, had never seen two men fighting in the street, had never seen a man so gorgeous as the aggressor. His mind was spinning.  
The small man (much smaller than Erwin, under 5’5”,) had hair as black as night and silvery grey eyes. He was trim, muscular, with broad shoulders and deliciously narrow hips. His small, white hands were strong and the knuckles on the left were split from the attack and bleeding.  
The small man quickly got up off of the other, who scrambled to get up and run away, and the small man glanced up at a still shocked Erwin. Right before he dragged the tattered sleeve of his sweater over his mouth Erwin saw a shiny, sticky film on the man’s lips that he knew for sure he recognized. It was cum. The little man had been performing oral sex on the fat man. He was a prostitute.  
Erwin’s mouth hung comically ajar as the small man looked up at him.  
“What’s your problem you fancy asshole?” He wiped his mouth again.   
“You never seen a man who blows other men?” Suddenly the small man paused and took Erwin in his entirety, including the client who sagged onto him.  
“Oh, I guess you have,” the small man said thoughtfully and, stuffing the twenty into his jeans pocket, was gone, just like that, disappearing back into the alley. Erwin desperately tried to get another look at him just as the Uber pulled up, but he had effectively vanished.

In the Uber, Erwin’s client passed out, his head on Erwin’s shoulder. Erwin didn’t notice. He wouldn’t have noticed if their driver had been Pennywise the clown. His mind was racing, his pulse thrumming in his throat. That brief scuffle, the incredibly handsome little man, had been the most exciting and alluring thing he’d experienced in years. Something about it made him feel alive for once.

Later, much later, back in his apartment, Erwin lay alone in his massive king-sized bed and thought about his unusual day. His blood still sang in his veins and his heart beat even more quickly as he recalled things. He dipped his hand under the waistband of his boxers, grasping his cock. He couldn’t believe he was doing it. He hadn’t handled his own dick—in private—in years. But that incident, that scuffle, that man …   
He ran his palm over the head of his cock, teasing himself. He thought about how the small dark man had appeared out of nowhere, had hit the other like a meteorite, barrelling into his back, making him fall, punching him. How he had had no fear or shame. The look of bright red blood on his fine hands.  
He bit his lip, fondling his balls, and carefully went over the man’s physical features; silky looking pale skin, black hair, grey eyes, thin, soft-looking lips. He even remembered his clothes; worn jeans topped with a rust-colored sweater that appeared a few sizes too big for him. Adorable. Just the thought of him made Erwin feel things.  
His hand went to his cock and began a steady stroke.

Erwin made a point to return to the club where he’d seen the small man as soon as possible. It was the Neptune Club on Maria Blvd. He often cruised the more popular bars, flirting and handing out his card, so it wasn’t unusual for him to be there though it was not his normal venue. Cruising was his second most effective way to get clients. His first was word of mouth. Erwin had a stellar reputation.

As soon as he stepped from the cab he looked around for the small man. He saw no sign of him and couldn’t exactly go hunting through the alleys. He knew the man wouldn’t be inside—he wouldn’t have been allowed in—so Erwin had no choice but to go in and hope he saw the small man when he left.

Erwin’s clients often liked to go to the Neptune Club. It was upscale enough to not offend but tawdry enough to make them feel naughty and wild. He was too distracted to really make many contacts that night. His thoughts were all over the place and he couldn’t really explain them to himself. Erwin often found people attractive but had never been in love in his life. This feeling of fascination, of desire, was alien to him.

Within a half an hour of being in the bar he had had enough. He was frustrated. He needed to do his job, to earn money, but all he really wanted to do was see the small, dark man again.

Outside, Erwin paused next to the bouncer as an excuse to linger, hoping the small man would show up.  
“Mike! How have you been?”  
“Erwin! Good to see you. I’m good, how about you?”  
“Good, good.” Erwin obsessively watched the crowd.  
“You OK, there?”  
Erwin startled slightly. Had he been being that obvious? “Yes, fine. I was, uh … looking for a friend of mine. Small guy? Black hair?”  
Mike’s eyes immediately narrowed. “Yeah … yeah, I think I've seen that guy. I thought he was homeless.”  
Erwin hadn’t thought of that. Could the small man actually be homeless? That upset Erwin. “I think he may have fallen on hard times. I just want to help, if i can.”  
Mike nodded. “I’ll let you know if I see him.”

Two days later Erwin stepped out of the limo and nodded to the driver who held the door for him. Erwin slipped him a twenty; they were birds of a feather he and the driver. Just two guys trying to make a living.  
His client for tonight, meanwhile, was already arguing with the bouncer. She was sloppy drunk, much as Erwin’s last client had been when they’d arrived. The Neptune Club crowd seemed to be Erwin’s heaviest drinkers.  
Erwin took a casual look around and at that moment a small figure slid out of the alleyway next to the club.  
It was him. Oh, god, it was the small man.  
Erwin was transfixed. He just stood there rather stupidly, staring. The small man noticed him, stared back. Erwin drank in his appearance. He was wearing a nondescript dark grey hoodie tonight and jeans and he slouched against the corner of the club, in a shadowy space, and, cocking a knee, put one small foot up on the bricks behind him.  
Erwin didn’t know what to do. He wanted to approach the man but felt as nervous as a high school student with a crush. What would he say? How would his client react? Badly he suspected.  
As if on cue, his client, who was trying to shove her cleavage into the bouncer’s face, turned away with a huff.  
“Erwin, darling! This man is being beastly to me! Erwin?”  
Erwin hurried over and the bouncer immediately recognized him. Erwin whispered in his client’s ear and she petulantly withdrew two twenties from her clutch and handed it to the bouncer. Mike let them in.  
Erwin cast one wistful sidelong look at the figure leaning against the bricks and went inside.

Erwin was determined to not let it happen again. Missing the small man. Never again. He had to talk with him. He’d been back twice to the Neptune with other clients and had not seen him, assumed he was with his own clients. What were they called? Johns?

Erwin found him the third night he returned to the Neptune. He spotted the small man as he went inside the club. His heart raced with excitement. He whispered to his client that he had to go powder his nose and then slipped out the front door and around to the alley. 

Erwin had two types of clients. Those who just wanted to fuck—or be fucked by—a beautiful man and those who wanted to be seen with a beautiful man and the sex was incidental. Some even paid him to be a true escort and simply accompany them somewhere public. With the latter, it was essential that Erwin stay close by, fawn over the client, and be seen.  
He was blessed with the former type tonight. The man wanted to fuck Erwin after a night of drinking and had no interest in whether he slipped away for a while. Perfect.  
Erwin moved through the alley, walking gingerly in the damp darkness, avoiding oily puddles, and cringing at the smell of cat piss, almost a city block before he heard them. Rhythmic gunts. Moans of pleasure.  
Erwin eased his head around a corner and saw them. Some scrawny young man, looked well-to-do, with his trousers down around his ankles and the small man balls deep in his ass. Erwin’s breath sped up.  
“Fuck, I’m gonna come,” The small man murmured. Erwin’s cock twitched.  
“Come inside of me,” the boy said breathlessly.  
Erwin took a deep breath and ducked back around the corner, standing with his back against the weathered brick. He willed his cock to calm down. He willed himself to calm down. He heard a quick series of grunts and a sigh that must have signaled the small man’s orgasm. The boy came loudly a moment later.  
Erwin waited.  
There were rustles and whispers and the susurration of paper—probably money—and the boy burst out of the side alley, walking fast. His eyes went wide as saucers at seeing Erwin and he sprinted off, splashing through puddles.  
Erwin turned around the corner and into the alley just in time to see the small man remove his condom and toss it into a nearby trash bin. Well, that was good. At least he was safe.  
As he approached, the small man was counting his money. It seems it was in small bills and he was obsessively arranging it in order.  
His head snapped up as soon as he heard Erwin.   
“How … how much?” Erwin asked.  
The man, trapped as he was, looked like a small, dark, cornered animal. A slender knife appeared as if by magic in his hand and Erwin’s eyes widened at it. He didn’t move, however.  
“Don’t try to con me. I know what you are, asshole,” the man said, “You’re a fucking whore, too. A high-dollar one. You could pay for a blowjob or a fuck from someone as nice as you, someone clean …”  
“No,” Erwin said and made the mistake of stepping toward the man. The knife flashed in the light of the streetlamp. Erwin quickly held up both hands in a placating gesture. “No. I mean you no harm. I’m serious. I want … I want …” Erwin suddenly blushed.  
“You want what, fuckwit?”  
“I want to suck you,” Erwin said softly.  
He could see the whites of the man’s eyes glinting in the darkness.   
“What?”  
Erwin spread his hands again. “I-I want to blow you. Please. I just want to be with you. I’ll pay top dollar.”  
That quick flash from the grey eyes came again and Erwin knew he had him. His heart hurt at the thought of this beautiful man struggling for money. “What’s your name?”  
“My name? No one wants to know my name.”  
“I do. Mine’s Erwin.”  
There was a long pause. Finally, whispered; “Levi.”  
“Levi,” Erwin said.  
The man shuddered visibly as if his name on another’s lips was some sort of bad magic.  
“Will you do it, Levi?” Erwin asked, “Will you let me?”  
Levi’s demeanor changed gradually. He seemed to relax. The knife disappeared. “Of course I will. You’re not the first person to wanna suck my dick, ya know.” He pulled at his oversized sweater and Erwin noticed how frayed the cuffs were.  
“We can’t be together tonight, though,” Erwin said, the regret edging his voice.  
“Ah, fuck! Seriously? You waste my time like this and …”  
Erwin dipped into his coat pocket quickly and produced a fifty dollar bill. It was part of a tip (along with two others) he’d received that night. Levi froze at the sight of the money. Erwin very, very carefully reached out and placed the fifty into Levi’s hand. The bill seemed to have Levi mesmerized.  
Erwin folded Levi’s hand over the cash and held his big, soft, warm hand there on Levi’s for a moment, his thumb stroking Levi’s slender wrist.  
“This is for you. To hold my spot, so to speak. How do I contact you?”  
Levi was staring intently at Erwin’s hands on his and the edge of the fifty sticking out the sides.  
“Corner of Canal and East Wall, after 11 o’clock most nights,” he said, faintly, “Or early, like 7 am, on a Sunday.”  
Erwin smiled. “Good. I’ll see you soon.”  
Erwin spun away and walked quickly off, not trusting himself to not just grab the small man up and try to take him with him like a stray dog.  
Levi stared at the fifty some more then finally looked up. “You never found out how much I charge,” he said to the empty alley.


	3. "Are you in love, Princess?"

Erwin could take a day off any time he wanted. He didn’t work for anyone, just himself. He didn’t belong to an escort service. Of course, to maintain his own lavish lifestyle he needed to work as often as was convenient. 

But today he was taking off. It was Sunday. 

He had put his phone on vibrate and, clad in a casual pale lavender lambswool sweater and khakis, he headed for the corner of Canal and East Wall.

Erwin had chosen to walk. It was a clear, brisk day, very pretty with a sky of an almost surreal blue. It took Erwin longer to reach the location than he had thought it would. The corner was in a very run-down neighborhood far away from his own upscale one. He didn’t know what he had expected.

There had been a butcher’s shop at the corner there that had gone out of business long ago; the wooden pig’s head still hung, crookedly, on the wall. Did Levi  _ work _ this lonely corner or live in one of the brooding apartments above, their curtainless windows dark?

Erwin, who had never worked the streets in his life, hung out on the corner across Canal street and tried to look casual. 

Instead, he looked distinctly out of place.

There wasn’t a cafe or anything to wait in so he just stood. He had to see Levi.

He had waited only a few minutes when a voice spoke up quietly from the alleyway behind him.

“You were serious?”

Erwin spun around. It was him, Levi, in the same threadbare rust-colored sweater and jeans. Charmingly, Levi wore black, battered, and faded Chuck Taylors on his small feet, like a kid.

Erwin took a brief moment to just take Levi in. He was so beautiful. Black hair, grey eyes, thin black eyebrows, and stupidly thick black lashes.

“I was serious,” Erwin said.

Levi cocked his dark head up at him. “So where are we gonna do this?

Erwin deflected. “Do you live here?”

Levi frowned. “I live  _ around  _ here. Do you not have a car?”

“I don’t. I usually take cabs ... but it’s such a pretty day. Shall we walk down to the canal?”

“You can’t blow me by the canal,” Levi pointed out, scowling.

“Then let’s just walk for now.”

“What’s your deal, anyway? I could be workin’ …”

“How much do you charge?”

Levi rubbed the side of his nose as if he was thinking. “Twenty. I suppose you want a discount ‘cause it’s you doing the work?”

Erwin had gone quiet, his mouth open. “You charge 20 dollars for a blow job?” And he’d just offered him a discount! He remembered the fat man and the fight and the twenty-dollar bill.

Levi had pulled the tattered sleeves of his overlarge sweater down over his hands and was twisting them. “Yeah, so? Money up-front, too.”

Erwin charged $75 for any mouth-to-genital contact.

He fumbled in his back pocket and extracted his wallet. Levi looked around cautiously for policemen. Erwin picked out the first bill he encountered—another fifty—and shoved it at Levi. “I’ll give you fifty to walk with me by the canal!”

Levi’s hands came up. “Hey, don’t do me any favors, asshole!”

“Please,” Erwin said.

“What’s with you?!” Levi asked, backing away. “Are you some kinda cop?”

Erwin did something then that he never would have thought he’d have done, he took Levi’s small, strong hands in his, “Please. I’m not a cop. I-I just want to be with you.”

Levi stood like a scared deer, pulling on the grip Erwin had on his hands, eyes wide.

“Why?” he asked. “Why me?”

“I don’t know,” Erwin confessed. He tucked the fifty into one of Levi’s hands and let him go. “Shall we walk?

The canal was only two blocks away and they walked in silence for the first block, Erwin surreptitiously throwing little glances at Levi.

Levi turned to him.

“So what’s your deal, for real? What could bring you all this way? I’m not exactly a prize.”

“You are,” Erwin said quickly. “You’re very handsome.” He blushed and smiled and Levi looked doubtful. “And the fight. In front of the Neptune club …”

“Oh, is  _ that _ what this is?” Levi’s face twisted into a grimace. “You’re not really attracted to  _ me _ , you’re attracted to the  _ idea _ of me. I get it. Adventure and danger. Forbidden fruit.”

Erwin shrugged. “Well that’s part of it, I guess … but not all.”

“Well don’t go slumming it on my account, Pretty Boy. I’m nothing special. This town’s full of whores who’d be happy to take your money and who would do anything you want. Shit I won’t do.”

“I don’t want anything weird. I want you,” Erwin said simply.

Levi shook his head.

They had arrived at the canal and a stiff breeze blew over the water, making it choppy. They turned left and strolled along the black tarmac walk there.

“It’s nice here,” Erwin said, watching the water, “not stuffy like it is downtown.”

“It  _ is _ nice,” Levi said, gazing out over the water. “I come down here whenever I can.” Erwin looked at him. Levi seemed to have forgotten where he was and who he was with. He looked softer, content. He looked beautiful.

Levi snapped out of it quickly. “Let’s turn back now and get this show on the road.”

“You know, you don’t have to let me blow you at all,” Erwin said softly. “I’m content just being with you.

Levi looked scandalized. “Seriously? What, are you in love, Princess? You paid!”

Erwin shrugged.

Erwin knelt with absolutely no attention to his $80 trousers. He knelt behind a dumpster in the dirty, wet alleyway eagerly, not even feeling the filthy water seeping into his knees. He would have loved to have done this in the comfort of an expensive hotel room—where most of his trysts occurred—but that was not possible now. Now he had only the cock of a man he was genuinely attracted to and a sordid alleyway. Damn it. Whatever.

Levi sighed and leaned against the bricks of one of the buildings.

It had been a long time since he’d had anyone suck his cock who was actually interested in him. He almost didn’t remember what it was like. Erwin’s touch was reverent.

Levi’s cock was not small despite his height. It was decidedly average; fat and pretty and circumcised and curved in an upward arc. Erwin was delighted.

Due to long practice, Erwin was a master at controlling his gag reflex, so when his pink lips slid over Levi’s dick they went smoothly down to the base, nestling his nose in Levi’s midnight black pubic hair.

Levi gasped and threaded his fingers into Erwin’s hair. “Fuck!”

If Erwin could’ve smiled he would have, but as it was, he was being very glad of one thing; Levi was immaculately clean. He didn’t know Levi’s situation; clearly, he was poor, he may not have had access to running water. But whatever the setup, Levi was freshly washed and smelled alluringly of soap, clothes detergent, and his own musky, manly scent.

Levi didn’t have an ounce of fat on him anywhere. Despite his obvious muscles, he was painfully thin. As he leaned back against the wall, his hip bones jutted out, and Erwin’s big hands would have engulfed his lean waist.

He moved smoothly along Levi’s length, flicking his tongue down the underside of his cock as he went, pausing occasionally to slurp at the head. He palmed his own cock through his trousers, trying not to do more, trying to rein it in. He didn’t want to distract himself from the absolute pleasure of making Levi feel good. As he worked, he slowly ramped up his speed until Levi was gasping under his ministrations.

“Fuck, Erwin, that’s good. Just like that, hnn!”

Soon Levi’s hips were pushing forward, into the stroke, encouraging him on, looking for more. Erwin obliged.

Wrapping his hand around the base of Levi’s cock he began to mimic the rhythm of his mouth until his hand and his head moved in tandem, forward and back.

“Erwin, fuck! Fuck, you’re gonna make me come!”

Levi had both hands on Erwin's head now, two handfuls of blond hair snatched up in a firm grip, his head thrown back, panting.

“Yes … yes … oh,  _ fuck _ !”

Levi came, hips stuttering, and Erwin caught every drop. Levi stood, legs shaking for a moment, recovering. “Jesus, that was good. Fuck. You’re good.”

Erwin, who never swallowed, spit delicately onto a corner and stood, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief that he’d retrieved out of his pocket. He smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Really, I am.”

Levi eyed the impressive bulge in Erwin’s pants. “Y’know, for another 50 dollars I’ll let you fuck me.”

“Usually I top women and only bottom for men.” 

“Even better. I prefer to do the fucking.”

A warmth stirred in Erwin’s groin but he tamped it down. “I’ll politely decline, though, for right now. Blow jobs in alleyways are one thing but if we ever have sex I want it to be in a bed.”

“Suit yourself. Wait. You  _ ‘usually’ _ top women? You have women fucking you?”

Erwin smiled and nodded. “It’s called pegging and yes. It feels surprisingly good. They do amazing things with silicone these days.”

Levi blinked in wonder.


	4. "You pay me and you can do whatever you want."

Levi walked slowly home. It was midnight, later than he normally quit, and he was bone tired. He’d had three johns who wanted sex and a smattering of blowjobs, more than normal. He generally had sex once or twice a night with it being divided fairly evenly between men who wanted to fuck him and men who wanted to be fucked. Tonight all three johns had wanted to fuck Levi and he was sore as hell. Not to mention that the last guy was short 10 dollars. Levi had roughed him up a bit, giving him a black eye and a split lip and rifled his pockets to no avail: two wadded twenties was all he had.

The blowjobs had gone better, although he’d done enough that his jaw was sore and his mouth tasted rather sickeningly of cum. He never swallowed but that didn’t help the taste building up every night.

He couldn’t wait to get home.

When Levi finally made it back to his building, as he walked up the stairs to his tiny room, he allowed himself to think of the blond man.

He was impressive. Tall, golden-haired, square-jawed, and his eyes! His eyes were the color of the sky in the summertime.

Levi turned the key and let himself into his apartment, clicking on the light as he entered. It was chilly—Levi kept the heat down as low as possible to save money—but not unbearable. In the corner, by the window, a largish cage with a single occupant, a blue parakeet, sat uncovered. Levi made a beeline for it.

“Hello, Major,” Levi murmured. The bird screeched and fluttered around in response. “How was your day? I’ll get you some millet here in a minute”

Levi washed his hands in the only sink—twice—and washed his mouth out with water as hot as he could stand. Then he brushed his teeth—twice. After this ritual he gave Major a spray of millet and shed his clothes, carefully inspecting his jeans for stains then folding them up carefully. His sweater he set aside to wash. Clad only in his underpants (he owned exactly five pairs,) he went to the hotplate on the counter and put the kettle on to boil.

He allowed his mind to wander to the blond man again.

What was it about him?

For one thing, he was absurdly handsome and for another Levi had never actually met a fancy high-end prostitute. He knew they existed, he’d seen them outside the clubs, but he’d never spoken to one.

  
  


There was only one small grocery store close to Levi’s apartment and it stood about halfway between Levi’s place and Erwin’s penthouse on Maria street. Erwin took to stalking it during the evening. He’d figured out that Levi, like himself, mostly worked at night under cover of darkness which left his days free to sleep and do domestic stuff. He had to go to the store sometime.

  
  


It had been over a week since Erwin had seen Levi and he was hungry for a glance at the man. So he ‘just’ strolled that way one evening.

Erwin had assumed that Levi, who worked Maria street and Sina boulevard, he’d guessed, would hit the grocery store on the way home at night. The small shop was open 6 am to 11 pm and Levi would—hopefully—have cash after a night of tricks. Erwin’s deductions paid off.

Levi spotted Erwin the second he stepped into the store. It was kind of hard not to. He stood pretending to study the noodles. Truth be told Levi had the noodles in the small place memorized. There were only two kinds, the 19 cent-a-piece dry ramen and the fancier 49 cent cups with such exotic offerings as yakisoba and udon. Levi was considering these. He had paid his rent and eleven dollars and 27 cents were burning a hole in his pocket.

Erwin approached him, stood nearby, hands in the pockets of his fancy chinos. Levi concentrated on the noodles.

“You should buy some chicken,” Erwin said, unable to help himself, “You need the protein.”

Levi actually salivated at the thought of some chicken but he kept a stoic face. “No place to cook it, and I didn’t ask your advice, asshole”

Erwin seemed taken aback.

“Cold cuts and bread?”

“No refrigerator.”

Erwin frowned. He pictured the vast, silent, stainless-steel kitchen in his condo that he had only used to make coffee in. After a moment he crossed to the meat counter.

“Do you make sandwiches here?”

“Ain’t no restaurant,” the man behind the counter grunted. He looked suspiciously between Erwin and Levi.

“Fine then, a quarter pound of turkey, ham, swiss. And two sub rolls.”

“Listen buddy, it’s almost closing time and that’s not enough to fire up the slicer …”

Erwin’s wallet appeared and he looked speculatively into a fan of hundred dollar bills.

The slicer came to life.

Levi watched in a kind of awe as Erwin bought mayonnaise, mustard, Kosher dill pickles and piled all up onto the counter. 

“Which noodles do you want?”

Levi just stared at him. “You don’t have to buy my food, asshole. I can manage.” Levi didn’t tell Erwin that $50 would buy food for him for a month. 

“What if I want to?”

Levi had nothing to say to that.

They left a few minutes later with deli meat and cheese, sub rolls, condiments and every flavor of carton noodles Erwin could find times two. Erwin had even bought Levi a soda.

Levi, feeling like a little kid, clutched his Coke and followed Erwin’s broad back down to the docks. 

There weren’t benches per se at the docks but there were plenty of crates and boxes to get comfortable on. The whole dock area was lit dimly by old sodium arc lights. Folks often came down to watch the scant ships come and go during the day. Erwin picked a big, low crate and sat down on one end pouring his purchases out in the middle. Levi sat at the other end, feet dangling, the food between them.

“You still have that knife?” Erwin asked.

Levi started then remembered their encounter in the alley. He produced the knife as before—out of thin air—and handed it handle first to Erwin.

“You trust me with this?” Erwin asked.

Levi chuckled. “I’m not sure I trust you to spread mayonnaise, but I sure as hell don’t think you have the skill to hurt me with my own knife.”

Erwin blushed with embarrassment at that. He must seem incredibly soft to the other man.

“Hey, no pork or cheese or mayo on mine,” Levi said suddenly.

Erwin paused, confused. “No?”

“Jewish,” Levi said.

For a few quiet moments, Erwin made sandwiches, and Levi slurped his Coke and swung his legs.

After a bit, Levi spoke. 

“So is this a Sugar Daddy thing?”

Erwin looked up, startled. “What?”

“A Sugar Daddy thing. Daddy kink.”

“I don’t know what that is,” Erwin confessed, licking mustard off of his thumb.

Levi shrugged. “Y’know. You buy me stuff and I’m your twink. You fuck me—maybe hurt me a little bit—and I call you Daddy?” He studied the top of his Coke can gravely. “It’s kinda weird, a whore wanting a whore, but I guess it happens.”

Erwin put down the sandwiches.

“Levi …”

“Hey, It’s OK. I can give you a good deal.”

“What if I told you that I’m not interested in … that. I certainly don’t want to hurt you.”

“What? Not interested in fucking in general? Or … oh … you mean  _ doing _ the fucking.” Levi spent several minutes thinking and Erwin finished up the sandwiches—he’d made both loaded with turkey and a bit of mustard. He placed a dill pickle spear next to each sandwich and pushed one of them over to Levi. He ignored the other one.

Levi took up the sub and took a huge bite. “So what is this?” he asked, spraying crumbs, “God this is good. Oh my god.”

Erwin smiled, pleased that Levi liked the sandwich, “This?”

“This thing between us. Us.”

Erwin knew what he  _ wanted  _ it to be. “Can we just wait and see?”

Levi took another enormous bite and shrugged. “You pay me and you can do anything you want. Say, you’re not gonna eat?”

“Oh, I don’t eat.”

“You  _ don’t eat _ ?”

“Well, of course I eat … I just … Do you remember the movie The Truth About Cats and Dogs? Janeane Garofolo and Uma Thurman are eating at a cafe? Only Uma’s character, Noelle, has ordered a dessert but isn’t eating it. When Janeane’s character, Abby, asks her about it, she says: “‘Oh, I order but I don’t eat.’”

Levi stared up at him, jaw slack.

“She’s a model. She has to stay thin.”

“So you don’t eat because you need to stay thin?” Without thinking about it Levi ran his hand over his own prominent ribs.

“Thin, fit. Nobody wants a fat escort.” Erwin shifted uncomfortably.

“Are all your clients thin and fit?”

“Of course not.”

“Do you reject them?”

“No! But that’s different. They pay me.”

“So you have to be  _ paid _ to fuck somebody who’s not a fucking supermodel?”

“Levi … that’s not what I’m saying. You have it all turned around.”

“Then explain it to me.” Levi was getting visibly agitated.

“It’s  _ me _ . It’s about me. In order to get work I have to look good.”

“That’s such bullshit!”

“But it’s true. The world isn’t fair.”

Levi studied his hands. “No ... it’s not.”

“Don’t worry about my eating. It’ll … I’ll be OK.”

Levi shook his head. “You’re already pretty thin for such a big guy …”

“I could still stand to lose a few pounds … work out more.” Erwin critically examined his perfectly flat stomach.

“No! Fuck that, Erwin!” Levi stood.

“I have to compete with men prettier than me, Levi. Men much younger, I—.”

“No, I say!” Levi’s hands balled into fists at his sides. “This job is making you shallow, Erwin. Superficial. You’ll make yourself into a big Ken doll. There’ll be nothing on the inside!”

  
  
  


Erwin was in the shower letting the water pour over his body and the tears run down his face. Levi had had no idea that he hadn’t eaten in two days.

Levi had gotten it all wrong, all turned around. Erwin didn’t not eat because he  _ wanted to _ . He didn't binge then throw it all back up because it was  _ fun _ . He had a problem. He couldn’t help it. It wasn’t about being thin and fit, it was about control. Food was the one thing in his life he could  _ control _ .

He certainly didn’t judge other people. He only judged himself … and came up wanting.

Erwin turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. He automatically stared at himself in the full-length mirror. He  _ was _ getting thinner. Maybe it was time to seek help. He did look good, though.  _ Thin _ .

He chewed his lip and grabbed a towel. The thought of seeking help, of exposing himself to someone, of recovery, of gaining weight— _ losing control _ —was terrifying. When his body was perfect, the clients loved him, treated him like a valuable person. And Levi. Erwin wanted to be perfect for Levi, wanted  _ him _ to love him. 

Levi was wrong. If he could be perfect on the outside then maybe he’d be perfect on the inside.

  
  


Levi was cleaning. He had cleaned his apartment so often and so aggressively that he was rubbing the paint off of the baseboards. He didn’t care. He crawled another few feet forward and began scrubbing the doorjamb.

He couldn’t stop thinking of Erwin. That big, stupid bastard. Levi rubbed at a nail hole in the wood, certain that some filth was hiding in there.

He was aware that he had been wrong. He’d had no right to explode at Erwin like that. Erwin’s job was more stressful than his. He had to be perfect at all times. Levi just had to be convenient; a cheap dick or hole or mouth.

It had just hurt. The concept of how a person  _ looked _ being more valuable than what was on the inside. Levi knew that it was true that society favored the thin, the tall. Levi himself would never look like an underwear model. He was too short, too pale. Did that mean that Erwin saw him as lesser than?

He knew, deep down, that he was being stupid. Erwin had sucked him off—and had paid for it. But not  _ eating _ ? That was fucked up and it bothered him more than he was willing to admit. 


	5. Appearences

Erwin was cruising for clients at Club Titan on Sina Boulevard when he saw Levi again. He was startled to see him skulking about outside such a fine venue—though it was only a couple of streets over from the Neptune—but there he was. Erwin and the bouncer for the club spotted him at the same time.

“Hey, you! Get outta here!” the bouncer said

“What? It’s a free country! I’m not hurting anybody!” Levi shot back.

The bouncer loomed over Levi and Erwin felt his heart lodge in his throat.

“You’re dirtying up the street just by being here.”

“Oh, fuck you, you big bastard.”

Erwin couldn’t help himself. He intervened.

“Reiner! How are you this evening?”

“Oh, hey Erwin. I’m good except for this street trash, here. You go on in. Bertholdt will let you in.”

“But I know this gentleman.”

“You … know him?”

Erwin took a deep cleansing breath through his nose, “Yes.”

Reiner dipped in close to Erwin and turned him slightly away. “You know this guy’s just a common whore, right?”

Erwin was amused to think that while Reiner could identify Levi’s profession, he couldn’t discern that Erwin was in the same one. Mike had cottoned on ages ago.

Erwin clapped Reiner on the back heartily. “It’s OK, we went to school together.”

Reiner wandered back to the club, bemused.

Levi was not happy.

“You don’t have to rescue me!” he snarled when they were alone.

“He’s twice your size!”

“Ahh, I could take him! Now go away, you’re scaring off my johns!”

On the contrary, several people in line were eyeing the two of them speculatively. Erwin reached for his wallet. “At least take some cash…”

“You. Don’t. Have. To. Rescue. Me! I’m not some pet or … or some pet project! Now fuck off!”

“Oh, Levi! I wish you—”

Levi sensed more than saw Erwin stiffen beside him. He was staring across the sidewalk at a couple who had just stepped out of a limo. Levi followed his gaze. It rested on an older woman and a very young man. The young man was tall, whip-thin, and good looking with sandy blond hair and a darker undercut.

“Who is that?” Levi asked.

“One of my clients,” Erwin murmured, “with another escort.”

“‘Escorts?’ Is that what you call yourselves?”

Erwin nodded distractedly and began to move away from Levi, forcing the other man to trail after him.

“So what’s the problem?” Levi asked, “There’s several of us who work my beat. You get what you get. Don’t let it bother you so much.” He bent and pulled absently at a bit of loose rubber on the sole of his shoe then trotted to catch up. “There’s no way you can keep other people from picking up tricks. If I tried to do that, I’d spend more time fighting than fucking.”

“You don’t understand,” Erwin insisted, now several feet away, “The majority of my business is built on reputation. If I get a big client, I need to keep them, be seen with them. It makes me more desirable to new clients. In order to be successful, I have to keep up appearances!”

He seemed to have totally forgotten about Levi standing there

“ _ Appearances _ ,” Levi mused, sneering. He raised his voice. “There’s that word again. Like starving yourself? Like not being seen with a ‘common whore’?”

Erwin flinched and spun around, frowning. “Oh, Levi, you know that’s not it!” Erwin snapped and immediately regretted it. He was upset about his client, not with Levi, but it was too late.

“Yeah, sure. Well, I’ll see you around,  _ Ken _ !”

Levi walked quickly, angry. Angry at Erwin, angry at himself, angry at the world. He knew he was being unreasonable but he couldn’t help it. He wouldn’t have admitted this to himself, but, he  _ liked _ Erwin and hated that he had to go through all those pretenses. He was just fine as he was.

  
  
  


Levi hovered in the alleyway across the street from Club Titan, thinking and not checking out possible Johns. 

He was hiding. No, he wasn’t hiding, he thought fiercely. He was just thinking!

He looked down at his hands, thin and white, but strong, the blue veins bumping along the backs. His mother had had similar hands but hers were always soft and narrow and delicate. Like birds. She used to tell him stories. She’d say that she had read them or heard them from somewhere else but he realized later that she had simply made them up on the spot. For him.

When she spoke, when she told a tale, she was always expressive with those hands and Levi had often thought that she could have been a dancer, a ballerina, perhaps, like the other women had told him about.

His hands were rough. He tried to keep them as soft as he could (handjobs were popular and rough skin and dick skin weren’t compatible) but the only cheap lotion he could afford didn’t do much. Especially with his thing about washing his hands. They were also scarred on the backs, the knuckles ugly and calloused from a life of fighting. He hid them suddenly behind his back. What did Erwin think of his hands, he wondered? Erwin’s hands were huge and golden-skinned like the rest of him and were very, very soft. Erwin couldn’t possibly want to be with a man whose hands were as ugly as Levi’s.

OK, that was a weird thought. Erwin might want to fuck him, suck his dick but he certainly wouldn’t consider actually being with someone like Levi. For a fleeting second he recalled one of Erwin’s hands wrapped around his dick. He dismissed that thought quickly.

Levi eased out onto the sidewalk. He had to work. He tried and failed to not look around for the tall blond man.

  
  
  


It had been several days but Erwin was there. Again. On a Sunday. On his street.

Levi sighed from the alleyway and Erwin turned, the sunny smile piercing directly into Levi's shriveled heart.

“How are you today? Going to the canal? May I come with you?”

“You’re a pain in my ass, Erwin,” Levi growled. But he turned and started walking, Erwin trailing after him.

“Not concerned about appearances here in the ghetto, eh?” Levi said. He flinched inwardly at the harsh words. He really didn't want to abuse the man, didn’t mean to but the words came anyway, unbidden. Levi's defense mode.

Erwin didn’t seem perturbed. A bit taken aback, perhaps, but not angry. Levi was grateful.

As always, they walked in silence.

“Levi, I want to apologize.”

“For what?”

“For the other night.”

Levi hunched in on himself, hands shoved deep into his pockets.

“Why?” If anybody needed to apologize it was him.

“I … I was unfair. I was acting irrationally. I was upset.”

“It’s wrong, Erwin,” Levi muttered.

Erwin didn’t reply.

Levi stopped suddenly and Erwin walked two steps before he caught on. He stumbled to a halt and looked back. “Levi?”

Levi took a deep breath. “I want to be clear.”

He looked up at Erwin and the taller man looked … what was that look in his eyes? Trepidation? Fear? Levi didn’t want him to be afraid of what Levi said.

Levi stayed silent, mouth slightly agape. Did he actually have the power to scare such a beautiful, wonderful man?

Erwin looked acutely concerned. “Levi?”

But Levi couldn’t find his words. Who was he to judge Erwin? To counsel him? He was a fine man, a good man. Incredibly handsome and successful. And then there was Levi.

Levi stared down at his Cons and arranged his words.

“I don’t think we should be around each other anymore.”

Levi heard Erwin’s sharp intake of breath. When he spoke there was an edge to his voice that Levi had never heard. Something desperate.

“Why not?”

“We’re not good for each other. I refuse to be a DIY project. I’ll always be just me.”

Erwin reached out and grasped one of Levi’s hands and he flinched, trying to get it back.

“Why don’t you trust me?” Erwin asked softly, “Why don’t you believe me? That I just want to be with you? Talk to you. Be around you?”

Levi kicked at a loose chunk of concrete, herding it around with the toe of his Chuck. “I’m …”

Erwin waited a moment. “You’re ….?”

“I’m scared, all right?!” Levi finally said.

“Scared?” 

“I’m scared that if I let you hang out, if I let you in you’ll just get bored or disgusted and leave.”

Erwin was stunned. “I won’t do that Levi. I’ll never leave you!”

Levi viciously kicked the piece of concrete away. “You can’t say that. Not for sure. You don’t know me. Everyone leaves me.”

“I won’t. Not unless you ask me to and maybe even not then,” Erwin said stubbornly. “I know all I need to know about you to make that decision.”

“My mom was a prostitute,” Levi said suddenly, heatedly. “Just another common whore, like me! I don’t even know who my father was!”

Erwin remained silent, letting the moment draw itself out, giving Levi time. After a moment all the fire seemed to go out of him.

“She died when I was about five.”

Erwin’s heavy brows pinched together in sympathy.

“I … I watched her die.” Levi took a deep breath, letting it out as he spoke in a rush, “I didn’t know what to do so I just sat with her, even after she was gone—I couldn’t wake her up. I tried and tried.—I sat there for days until my uncle Kenny showed up.”

Erwin made sure he was done. “That’s horrible Levi. Did … did your uncle raise you?”

“If you could call it that. He’s a bastard and a criminal. It wasn’t easy. At all.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I was in the business with him …”

“Do you still do those things?”

“No!”

“Then you’ve said nothing that will change my mind.”

Levi looked down at their hands which were still linked and could think of nothing to say. He felt overwhelmed.

“Will you give me a chance?” Erwin prodded gently, “Give us a chance?”

Levi finally looked up at Erwin who smiled like a 100watt bulb. It was like looking into the sun. Levi blinked. “OK.”


	6. The Rules

Erwin was excited. Giddy even. He felt like a high schooler who had been assigned a lab partner only to discover that it was his crush. His knee jittered up and down, the heel of his docksiders tapping on the floor of the cab. He was going to see Levi again today—and it was important.

Erwin had learned that the best times and places to find Levi were at the Neptune club between seven and nine and at the little store where Levi stopped after ‘work’ between ten-thirty and eleven. 

Erwin had chosen the Fast Shop Stop as his destination tonight. He wanted Levi all to himself and undistracted.

He hated that Levi wouldn’t accept money from him. Technically Erwin made enough money to support them both with the addition of what Levi made helping out. He smiled and relaxed into the back of the cab seat, lost in a fantasy of him and Levi living together in his big, empty apartment. Maybe they would get a dog.

The taxi stopped abruptly and jerked Erwin out of his reverie. He shook his head and scolded himself. He had to stop that.

They were at the store. Erwin leaned over the seat and paid the driver, adding an additional 40 bucks. “Wait for me,” he said.

The driver, wide-eyed, nodded eagerly.

Erwin exited the cab and brushed nervously at his clothes. Not only was he going to see Levi again, but he had a proposition for him. Not the fantasy of living together, though,—he wished—but a business proposition.

He hurried into the store.

Levi was there, staring at the sodas indecisively. Erwin approached him slowly, savoring how handsome he was. He was in his grey hoodie tonight and it gave him a dangerous look. He spotted Erwin immediately.

“What are you doing here, Dickhead?” he asked although the corners of his mouth tipped up just a tad. If Erwin didn’t know better he’d think that Levi had started hanging out at the store for half an hour each night. Maybe hoping Erwin would show up?

Encouraged and happy at the thought, Erwin spoke.

“Can we talk? Outside? When you get done of course.’

Erwin did his typical thing and bought whatever he thought Levi could use; Ramen, jerky snacks, chips, and a soda, despite Levi’s protests. He knew Levi wouldn’t throw the food away. Levi would refuse money but accept food.

Erwin remembered blowing Levi, how muscular but very lean Levi’s hips had been. He clearly didn’t eat enough. He realized in his heart that he was being a hypocrite.

“So, what’s the big mystery?” Levi asked, clutching his bag of food. He eyeballed the cab parked at the curb and wondered what it would be like to have enough money to not have to walk everywhere.

Erwin grinned nervously. “No mystery. Just a proposition.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Not something that you’re used to I’d wager, but the pay is good.”

“Pay …?”

Erwin took a deep breath.

“I’ve been asked to attend a … party. A sex party.”

Levi’s fine black brows drew down into a frown.

Erwin rushed on.

“It’s a party where I’ve been asked to have sex for the pleasure of onlookers.”

Erwin could see Levi’s clever mind racing. “Public sex? So people can watch? That’s kinda sick.”

“It’s a thing, though.”

Levi rubbed his chin. “I had one guy once pay me to fuck his wife while he watched. It was weird, but she was really into it so I agreed. Got 70 bucks for it.”

“See? This is similar. There will just be … a bigger crowd.”

“Fine, but what does this have to do with me?”

“I want you to participate. With me.”

“ _ What? _ No!”

“Why not? Levi, don’t you want to have sex with me?”

Levi chewed his lip. “Yeah, I’d like that, I admit, but not in front of a crowd of people!”

Erwin played his trump card. “I get paid $300.”

Levi went quiet.

“I’ll give you $200 of that.”

The silence spun itself out so long that Erwin gave the cabbie another 20.

Finally, Levi budged.

“OK, Fine! But we go halves on it. I shouldn’t take more.”

“Levi …”

“Halves or I don’t go.”

“Alright.” Erwin sighed, happy, excited, and a little exasperated. He softened.  “There’s no one I’d rather have with me than you.” 

“You know I’m doing the fucking, right?” 

“I would hope so.”

  
  
  


Erwin showed up at the corner of Canal And East Wall at 6:45 on the next Sunday. Levi appeared just a few minutes later, easing out of the alleyway as he did before.

“What are you doing here?”

“We need to go shopping,” Erwin said with a smile.

Levi immediately looked unsure. He scrubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t really afford …”

“My treat,” Erwin said.

Levi shook his head. “I told you I’m not–”

“Levi,” Erwin said, “I asked you to join me on a job. You agreed. I’m not going to make you buy new clothes. This is my treat. It’s part of the job.”

Levi chewed his lip. “OK, but just one shirt and one pair of jeans …”

“And underwear ….”

“And underwear. Just enough for the job.”

Erwin grinned happily. “Done!” It pleased him no end to do even a little bit for Levi.

Erwin knew better than to take Levi to a high-end store. Levi wouldn’t have stood for it. Instead, they took a taxi to a small, older, local store. There Levi picked out a pack of underpants, (the less expensive ones came in packs of three,) a pair of jeans, and a t-shirt in a pale greyish blue heather that brought out his eyes. Erwin even sneaked in a pack of socks.

“Should we get one more t-shirt?” Erwin asked, fingering a nice black one.

Levi hesitated. One could tell that he didn’t own many clothes and the addition of just a single shirt would help him a lot. Need finally won out.

“Uh, OK I guess.”

  
  


It was weird. Too weird, and Levi was regretting coming. He’d been tempted by the money and, to be honest with himself, by the lure of getting to have sex with Erwin. Now here he was and it was everything he imagined and much, much more in a bad way. The suite was immaculately clean and very fine indeed. Levi had never seen such nice furniture or decorations except through the big plate-glass windows looking into the high-end hotel lobbies.

The place was also full of people. Elegant, well-dressed, clean people. 

The lights were so bright and the jewels on the women and their glasses of champagne glittered like stars. It was overwhelming.

  
  


There were several rooms; two bedrooms, a sitting room, and even a good-sized meeting room with chairs around a large oval table. Each bedroom was bigger than Levi’s entire apartment. 

As Erwin led the way through, Levi stuck very close to him, letting him weave his way between laughing and chatting humans waving drinks and cigarettes and following close on his heels. As they passed one bedroom, Levi stared at a woman on the bed with her mahogany brown body bound in intricate knots of bright white rope. A devilishly handsome man was fucking her enthusiastically. Several people watched as if at the theatre, or a sporting event.

Finally, they entered the other bedroom. The door was never closed and people drifted in and out. 

Levi wondered exactly who the clients were. Everyone? The whole party? Or was the client here somewhere, skulking in anonymity?

  
  


Erwin, looking as exquisite as ever and seeming very relaxed, took a sip of a flute of champagne that he had carefully watched someone open and pour. Even Levi knew that rule; never, ever drink anything that you didn’t see opened and poured. There were people in the world of all incomes it seemed who would drug you, rape you, and leave you without your money. It happened in colleges, it happened in bars, and it happened to sex workers, too. 

Erwin, who was making small talk and laughing, began to get undressed as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Levi was very uncomfortable. He felt trapped and unworthy, like a junkyard dog at Crufts.

Erwin, who was now down to his crisp white undershirt and white stretchy nylon boxers which showed the thick outline of his cock, began to speak.

“Champagne?” he asked Levi kindly. Levi had never tasted champagne in his life. He shook his head.

“Remember the rules; no one is allowed to touch you. They can touch me—except for my genitalia—with their hands, but they cannot touch you.” 

Levi nodded quickly.

“We are here to have sex  _ with each other _ for the viewing pleasure of the guests,” Erwin said, peeling off his undershirt, “Of course, afterward, if a guest wants to pay you for your services solo …” He stripped off his boxers.

Everyone in the room stared. Some passers-by even paused at the door to take in the sight of Erwin naked. Levi was mesmerized.

Erwin was as close to being a living god as could be. He was over six feet tall, pale blond down to his eyelashes and the hairs on his beautiful ass, very lean and smoothly muscled. His thick, uncircumcised cock relaxed down his thigh. He stood naked as the day he was born as naturally as if he did it all the time in front of crowds of people.

He stroked Levi’s face and smiled. “Will you get naked with me? Let me see you? Let everyone see you?”

For a moment it was if they were alone together, perhaps down by the canal in the crisp breeze, just the two of them.

Then a woman touched Erwin.

She didn’t do anything untoward, just trailed a hand down his arm but Levi almost growled. “Hey …”

Erwin dropped his hand to Levi’s arm. “Remember the rules,” he murmured.

Levi blinked. Right. The rules. These rich bastards could touch Erwin.

Several men and women in the crowd were staring at Levi speculatively. He glared back.

“They’re waiting for you to get undressed,” Erwin said. He slowly began to pull Levi’s t-shirt from his jeans. Levi let him pull, fascinated by the man’s sky blue eyes and his sweet smile. The tugging dragged his hips forward into Erwin’s where he could feel the firm outline of Erwin’s cock even through his jeans.

Levi reluctantly let Erwin peel off his new t-shirt, taking it out of the other man’s hands and primly folding it and placing it on a side table. There were appreciative murmurs from the crowd at Levi’s pale, bare torso with it’s ridges of muscle and sprinkling of black hair, but he drew the line with his trousers. “I wanna keep ‘em on,” he insisted. Erwin didn’t pressure him.

Erwin took another long draught of champagne, finishing the glass, and sat on the edge of the bed. He looked up at Levi with sultry eyes that made Levi’s groin ache. “How do you want me?”

“In private and all to myself,” Levi muttered and Erwin laughed. Sensing Levi’s discomfort at the whole bizarre scenario, Erwin turned and crawled sensuously onto the bed, stopping in the center on his hands and knees and looking back at Levi.

“Is this OK?”

Levi swallowed. “Sure.”

Levi overheard snatches of murmured conversation.

“Little guy is gonna fuck the big guy? Really?”

“I told you it would be interesting.”

The crowd pressed in like hungry predators.

Levi hesitated. He’d not yet mounted the bed, much less the man, and he cast a belligerent, almost warning eye over the crowd. They seemed to love his bad-boy persona and they all but licked their lips. Levi clambered onto the bed, unbuttoning and unzipping as he came. He never removed his trousers but fished his cock out through the zip. Even limp, his fat member drew a sigh from the observers.

Their most avid spectators were a tall man who seated himself in a nearby chair and a squat, hairy man who circled like a hyena.

The squat man, the one built like a furry beercan, never stopped moving. He circled Levi and Erwin like a photographer looking for the perfect angle. He kept coming close, and clearly wanted to touch Levi which creeped Levi out. Every time the man wandered near Levi flinched away, glaring to warn him off. It was almost impossible to concentrate.

Levi tried to focus on Erwin and Erwin alone. He tried to treat him like a client and not worry about anything but his immediate pleasure—just long enough to get paid—but it was impossible. It was Erwin. As much as he hated to admit it he was drawn to the man.

Levi fisted his own dick and positioned himself behind Erwin’s near-to-perfect ass. He stroked one long thigh with his free hand.

“It’ll be OK,” Levi muttered, glancing warily around the room, “Levi’ll take care of you.”

Erwin sighed quietly. What a wonderful feeling it was to be taken care of, even a little bit. Even in this bizarre situation.

Levi was very sure that Erwin had taken it up the ass frequently—it was part of the nature of the business—but he was determined not to rush him. A good portion of Levi’s clients were straight men who were questioning their sexuality or men who were deeply in the closet and many of those who wanted to be fucked had never had a dick in their ass. Levi was used to being slow and careful.

The lube was expensive and scented like almonds and Levi had resolved to steal a tube or two of it for his own use. It beat the cheap, oily, strawberry-flavored stuff he used every day.

The squat, hairy man prowled by.

“Hurt him,” Beer Can said, low.

“What?” Levi was thrown off his game again.

Beer Can was clearly irritated at Levi’s hesitation. “Hurt him. I wanna see tears.” The man actually rubbed his hands together. Levi had never seen anyone do that outside of the movies.

_ Hurt him?  _ Levi couldn’t hurt Erwin. He wasn’t into that anyway. A little spanking was cool, just enough to pink up a fine ass but  _ pain _ , pain? Not his thing. He’d been hurt too many times before, gone to bed with split lips and bruises, unable to walk without pain from his ass being used. He couldn’t do that to anyone.

Confused and torn he looked at Erwin who had his head turned and was calmly looking at him. “It’s OK, Levi.”

Levi’s erection was flagging. No way he was doing this. Fuck the money. “Erwin …”

Erwin smiled. “Levi it’s OK. Sometimes people request that. It happens.”

Levi’s cock was completely flaccid. “Not with me it doesn't. I can’t hurt you, Erwin.”

“Oh, Granville,” the tall man in the chair said in a bored voice. “Leave it. You’re affecting the man’s performance.”

Beer Can—Granville—rudely glared at Levi’s cock as if it had done him personal harm and sighed dramatically. “I paid good money …”

“And you can’t control everything,” the taller man said. “Come sit down. Let them fuck how they want.”

With their audience finally settled down, Levi struggled to regain his concentration. He took a deep breath, let it out, and focussed on the beautiful man before him. Erwin groaned appreciatively as Levi took a double handful of his ass and squeezed firmly. Levi fondled Erwin’s buttocks then ran his hands down long muscular thighs and between to caress his balls. He was getting back into the groove.

He dribbled some lube into the crack of Erwin’s ass and onto his own fingers, rubbing them over Erwin’s sensitive hole which flexed in response.

“Does that feel good?” Levi murmured.

Erwin nodded eagerly. He was fully hard despite the interruption and eager to finally have sex with Levi despite the odd circumstances.

Levi stroked Erwin’s hole and fisted his own cock with his un-lubed hand, coaxing it back to its former glory. He was concentrating only on Erwin. Pausing to roll on a condom, he slicked it up with his lubed hand. Erwin whined at the interruption.

“Eager, are we?” Levi said and Erwin nodded again.

Curious, Levi ducked down and licked a wide stripe between Erwin’s cheeks. Erwin jerked and groaned and there were appreciative hums and murmurs from the crowd along with the random pleased moan. The lube tasted like almonds, too.

Ignoring the pressing group of people—there seemed to be more crowding in each minute—Levi ran his tongue around Erwin’s hole, probing gently.

“Oh, Levi.”

“You ready to be fucked, big boy?”

“Oh, yes. Please fuck me, Levi.”

Levi dribbled more of the delicious lube. He patted Erwin’s ass. “Spread your legs, you’re too tall.”

Erwin obliged.

Levi ran his cock up between Erwin’s cheeks and over his hole, testing the height and teasing Erwin with the slick, fat length of his dick. The big man shivered with pleasure. The height was perfect.

Levi adjusted the angle so that the head of his cock caught on Erwin’s hole. He pushed gently.

Erwin hummed happily as Levi’s cock slowly breached him. It was rare to nonexistent that someone would be so careful and sweet with him and it felt right.

Levi found almost immediately that he’d have to push his jeans down slightly or risk getting scratched by the zipper. He did so, slinging them right under his balls with his underwear padding the zip. This exposed the top of the crack of his tight ass, to his audience’s great appreciation.

Several of the onlookers stroked and fondled Erwin and if their hands came close to his mouth he would kiss them sensuously. One man inserted two fingers into Erwin’s mouth and he moaned appreciatively and sucked on them. To Levi’s disgust, another member of the audience had his trousers down around his ankles and was eagerly jerking himself off. Right in the middle of the room. Levi closed his eyes and concentrated on Erwin.

He thrust gently, going deeper and deeper each time. Kneading Erwin’s buttocks he finally bottomed out. He paused, hands on Erwin’s fine ass, and just enjoyed the sight and feel of being balls-deep in the gorgeous man. He reached forward and stroked Erwin’s sides. Erwin shivered.

“You ready?”

“Oh, yes, Levi. More than ready.”

Levi withdrew to the head of his cock and thrust back in, starting up a steady rhythm. For several minutes it was just the moans of Erwin and Levi’s panting breaths.

Actually making love to someone, someone you wanted to have sex with, was exquisite. Instead of fucking for the sake of fucking. It was something Levi had rarely experienced and he discovered he loved it.

The room seemed to spin around them and the audience became a blur as he fucked Erwin. It felt so good and he wondered how it would feel with just the two of them. He was getting close.

He bent over Erwin’s broad back, a thin sheen of sweat over his skin despite the air conditioning. His fingers dug into Erwin’s hips.

“Harder, Levi! Harder!” Erwin gasped and Levi redoubled his stroke. As he pounded into Erwin, his jeans slipped all the way down to the tops of his thighs to the delight of the onlooking crowd, flashing his firm white buttocks as they flexed.

“Oh, fuck, oh Erwin, I’m gonna come!”

Erwin suddenly remembered the young man in the alley. What was that phrase he had sighed to Levi?

“Come inside me, Levi.” Erwin said, wishing, perversely, that there was no condom and he could feel Levi’s fat cock pumping him full of cum

Erwin grabbed his own cock at that thought while Levi rode out his orgasm behind him. He was right on the edge. It only took a couple of strokes and he came with a grunt, painting the 400-count bed sheets white.

For a minute they both just stayed where they were, panting, coming down from their respective highs, then Levi withdrew himself from Erwin and tied off the condom. Erwin crawled to the bedside table and tossed him a warm, wet towel someone had waiting there for them.

“That was amazing,” Erwin said, “Everything I’d hoped for.”

Levi blushed at that and concentrated on cleaning himself off.

There were multiple murmurs of appreciation and some light, muttered conversations as the audience went over their favorite bits of the ‘performance.’ Several women and two men queued up to press business cards on Levi and get his number. Erwin smiled at him in delight, nodding encouragingly.

They took a cab to the Neptune and walked from there, Erwin insisting on walking Levi home.

Levi walked in silence for a bit, lost in thought. He had $150 in cash in his pocket plus a stack of business cards from interested potential johns. No, he shouldn’t call them ‘johns.’ They were ‘clients.’

“Is that what it’s always like?”

Erwin frowned. “What, with people watching?”

“No … no … that was just weird. I mean with the nice motel room and the champagne and stuff.”

“Yes. Usually. Although not always. Clients like to impress me, especially the really rich ones.” He side-eyed the smaller man. “Are you thinking of becoming an escort?” 

Levi sighed and jammed his hands into his pockets, fingers stroking the $100 bill. “You know I’d never make it. People want someone like you, not me.” He chewed the inside of his cheek. “They only liked me tonight because I was different … dangerous.”

Erwin frowned again and stared down at the sidewalk as he walked. “You’re right, “ he conceded. “But call them. Look them right in the eye and tell them you charge $100. What’s the worst thing that could happen? They turn you down?”

“But I can’t afford to have anyone turn me down,” Levi said quietly. “I’m behind on my rent as it is.”

“Oh, Levi. I didn’t know!” Erwin reached for his wallet. “Here …”

Levi stopped walking. “Stop it! Just stop it! You keep trying to rescue me!” His hands balled into fists. “I’m not your little welfare project, Erwin!”

“Levi …”

“We’re close enough to my place. I’ll walk by myself from here.” He smirked sourly, “I’m a big boy.”


	7. Jealousy

Erwin was beginning to think that he was losing control of his sanity.

Levi was right, Erwin  _ was _ trying to rescue him, to have him for his own. He thought of Levi all the time now. He wondered what Levi was doing as he got ready for his day. He wondered who Levi was with when he went out with clients. As he fell asleep he felt a buzzing anticipation at seeing Levi again the next day.

And he was doing it again. Erwin sighed and rolled over in his big, expensive and empty bed. This couldn’t be healthy.

Just another unhealthy thing he did. Super.

  
  


Erwin ‘just happened’ to appear at the corner of Canal and East Wall at 6:45 on a Sunday. It wasn’t long before Levi melted out of the alley as he always did.

“Are you actually waiting for me? Again? You paying for another blowjob? What are you a stalker?”

“May I walk with you?” Erwin asked and smiled. He swallowed hard. The thought of giving Levi another blowjob was incredibly enticing. He’d been replaying their act in that hotel room over and over in his head. He’d jerked off to the recollection of the blowjob in the alley. A lot.

“What if I’m off to do something nefarious?” Levi asked, derailing his thoughts. “Rob a bank or harass some old folks?”

“I doubt that.”

“It’s my day off, so, yeah, you can walk with me, I guess.”

They walked in silence, like two friends, and Erwin could see Levi scowling at his repeated little glances.

“Can I hold your hand?” Erwin asked suddenly.

Levi stopped and looked gobsmacked. “M’hand?”

Erwin smiled; a broad, cheery, happy smile. “Yes, your hand. Can I hold it?”

Levi looked around concernedly. “I-I guess so …”

Erwin laced their fingers together, big with small, and actually swung their joined hands a bit. Levi looked up at him as if he was insane.

“There’s something wrong with you …” Levi said solemnly.

_ Yes, _ Erwin thought.  _ There IS something wrong with me. I’m in love. Oh, god, I think I’m in love. _

  
  
  


They strolled toward the canal in a leisurely fashion, enjoying the cool weather.

“So what do you do on a Sunday morning?”

Levi retrieved his hand, suddenly self-conscious, shoved both into his pockets and shrugged at the pavement.

“Not much. I usually walk along the canal and get something to eat from one of the vendors.”

Erwin was aware of Levi’s diet of tea and ramen noodles. This must be a special weekly meal for him. He envied him.

They walked along for a bit in continued silence, eventually getting to the canal which ran swiftly in a dark green ribbon under the East Wall bridge. Levi paused and, resting his forearms on the railing of the bridge, just stared across the water and admired the sky.

“It’s so peaceful out here,” he murmured. “So open and the air is so fresh.”

Erwin thought of how Levi conducted his ‘business’ in dank alleyways and behind derelict buildings in the nastiest and most rundown spots off of the shiny and glittering main corridor of wealth. No wonder the canal held such fascination.

Erwin bought shawarma at a local food truck and Levi devoured it like a starving man. Erwin offered to buy him another.

“Fuck off. I told you I wasn’t a welfare case.” His tongue darted out and licked a crumb off of his lip. Erwin had to clear his throat.   
“But what if I want to. As a gift. Because we’re friends.”   
“Oh, are we friends now?”

“You and I have made love. I should hope so.”

“ _ Made love _ ,” Levi said speculatively.

“Yes. That wasn’t just fucking, Levi.”

Levi refused to meet his gaze. “Made love,” he murmured again. “Okay.”

His head came up. “Will you get one for yourself?”

Erwin hesitated and almost lied. He took a deep breath. “I can’t.”

Levi frowned. “Well, I can’t make you, I suppose. But we need to talk about this. It’s not normal.”

“Agreed. I promise I’ll talk about it … just give me time.”

“OK.” He poked one slender finger at him. “I’m holding you to that.” Erwin nodded. “Now where’s my other shawarma?”

  
  


Levi was absurdly proud of his new clothes that Erwin had gotten him. He felt like he looked like a regular Joe in them and not some ragged street urchin. He even seemed to get more business though they were just plain t-shirts and jeans.

Much to Levi’s disbelieving shock, five people had called him immediately from the small crowd of people after the sex show. Two even asked eagerly to make it a regular thing.

Getting to fuck in a bed—even if it was in a cheap motel—was so novel and nice. Levi could definitely get used to it.

At $75 a pop (Levi had chickened out on asking for a hundred. $75 was better than nothing,) times five, Levi was able to pay his rent with enough left over to stock up on a wall of Ramen. He even treated himself to not one but two of his special street food meals.

Quickly, though, he had to hit the streets again. 

He dressed in the grey-blue tee, stepping into his old jeans, and headed out. His feet seemed to take him to the Neptune club without his permission. It had been a week since he’d seen Erwin. When he got to the place, taking up his regular post next to the alley, he searched the crowd for Erwin. Not that he was eager to see the big, stupid bastard again, of course.

As luck would have it, Erwin was there in line to get in with some withered up old man with a jaw like an axe and an attitude of superiority. Levi recognized him as the man Erwin had been with the other night.

Erwin was thrilled. He hated that Levi was back on the streets but he had resignedly accepted that it was bound to happen. Erwin eased out of the line and strayed to Levi’s side; he couldn’t not. He wanted to stroke that pale face with the cheekbones that could almost cut glass. He wanted to run his fingers through that midnight black hair. But he couldn’t.

He contented himself with just being near—but not too near—Levi, smiling gently at him and, achingly, pretending he didn’t know him, pretending he was just standing near him by accident.

Levi, for his part, knew he looked ridiculously common next to Erwin but liked standing next to the other man. It made him feel like he had a scrap of importance in other people’s eyes, that this beautiful ‘stranger’ would deign to stand by his side.

Erwin didn’t linger. He couldn’t. He had to stay by his client’s side. He wandered back to the line but watched Levi, though, looked at who he was looking at, narrowing his eyes at them.

One man, in particular, a big, soft, pudgy guy with a round bald head and a pear-shaped body was making a great deal of eye contact.

A feeling, like a hot wave, hit Erwin suddenly. He was  _ angry _ . It was a foreign feeling, one he’d never felt and it blindsided him. Erwin was  _ jealous _ .

He fumed, trying to get a grip on his abrupt emotions. He recognized the man, a shop owner who had solicited Erwin before but had never been able to afford him. Now he was after Levi. Erwin was not pleased. How dare that mealy-mouthed merchant try to get with Levi? He wasn’t fit to be seen in public with Levi. Levi might be a prostitute but he was worth ten of the other man. Erwin’s hands balled into fists. He glanced toward his client. The Judge was schmoozing with some nubile and very young socialite. Erwin left the line again, changed trajectory, homing in on the bald man. Deliberately, and none too gently, Erwin bumped the man.

“Hey, asshole!” the man said.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Erwin soothed, “Mr. Stockwell? Is that you? I haven’t seen you in forever!”

Stockwell immediately gave up his focus on Levi and zeroed in on Erwin. Levi, abandoned, snarled in irritation. Erwin, digging in his pocket, grabbed the first bill he came to, a twenty, and dropped it behind Stockman’s back. Levi dove to grab it. He glared at Erwin anyway.

“The fuck?” Levi mouthed.

Erwin tucked his arm into Stockwell’s flabby one and simpered. “Mr. Stockwell, it’s been so long!” He waved Levi away with his other hand. Levi shot him the bird with both hands.

“Erwin?”

It was the client. Erwin murmured his apologies to Stockwell and stepped close to his client. Stockwell moved away at the sight of the client.

Slowly the client was absorbed again by the young socialite and Erwin was able to slide over close to Levi again.

“Why the fuck did you do that?!” Levi hissed at him.

“I … I didn’t want you to be with him. He’s a jerk and a slob.”

“I blow jerks and slobs every day! I could’ve scored a fuck! That’s fifty dollars!”

Erwin closed his eyes in pain at the thought of this beautiful man selling himself for a mere fifty dollars. He fumbled for his wallet and fanned the money out. “Please Levi …”

Levi stared at the money for a moment in shock then turned away. “Fuck you, you fucker! I don’t need you! What is all this shit? Buying me food? Stealing my clients? You don’t own me just cuz you blew me. You don’t get to choose who I’m with!” He walked away a few steps then turned, stepped back, plucked a fifty out of Erwin’s wallet, and walked swiftly away.

Across the pavement, the client was scowling and watching them like a hawk.

  
  


That night, Levi jogged up his stairs to his apartment and then stopped at the top.

A disheveled little figure with a mop of blond hair sat in front of his door, knees drawn up and arms around them. At first, he thought it was a child, his mind going to Mrs. Stanislav’s brood but no, they were all dark. He approached warily.

“Hey, buddy … dude, lady, whatever … you—”

The figure raised its head and Levi froze in astonishment. He barely recognized the face, it was so battered and beaten.

“Armin?!”

The boy stood shakily up, gripping Levi’s door jamb for support. “Levi! Oh, Levi, I didn’t know where else to go!”

Levi sighed. “C’mon, let’s get you inside.”

Levi didn’t have any ice for bruises but he could at least wash out the cuts. For several minutes he patiently wiped, wrung out the cloth, and wiped some more. He had to change the water twice.

“The fuck happened, Armin?”

The boy shrugged.

“Tell me. Who did this? And why?” But he thought he knew. Armin was a runaway and he’d shown up on Levi’s beat about a year ago. Due to his small size (he stood less than five feet tall) and his age (18? 19? God, Levi hoped he wasn’t younger than 18,) he was a very popular twink. Unfortunately, because of his build and generally benign nature, he couldn’t really defend himself from bigger, rougher johns. And twinks on the street could be very badly treated. Levi was used to seeing him with various bruises. “Was it a john?”

Armin hesitated. “It was Zackly.”

Levi bristled. “I’ll kill that fucker …”

Armin grabbed Levi’s arm. “No, Levi! Don’t say that! I knew you’d freak out!”

“Armin! What the fuck!? This is too much! That old bastard will kill you one day!”

“He won’t! He won’t!”

Zackly was Armin’s ‘landlord’ in a manner of speaking. 65 years old and a pretty well-off owner of a bakery, Zackly had been a regular client of Armin’s until he had realized that the boy was homeless. He had proposed that Armin live with him in exchange for regular sex. In the manner of all abusers, he doted on Armin one minute then beat the shit out of him or raped him the next. Armin professed to love him.

“Armin, this is some serious Stockholm Syndrome shit!”

Armin started crying. “He’s … he’s really a good guy, Levi! He was just angry …”

Levi quietly watched Armin cry. He had no idea what to do. He’d given Armin money in the past and had patched him up more times than he could count. He couldn’t go home. His stepfather had raped and beaten him for years before Armin had found a boyfriend and then the man had unceremoniously and hypocritically kicked him out of the house for “being a gay.” Armin had eventually found Zackly, an exact copy of his stepfather.

Levi stood and took the bowl of bloody water to the sink.

“You can stay here for as long as you need. Go take a bath and I’ll make up the couch for you.”

“Th-thank you, Levi.”

Armin stuck close to Levi for the week afterward. They tended to attract different sorts of johns so they didn’t interfere with each other’s work. Levi marveled that having bruises actually made Armin seem more attractive to his type of johns.

The shit hit the fan when Levi returned to the Neptune

Erwin was so glad when he saw Levi. He’d been off the radar for over a week and Erwin had been too busy to go looking. He actually pulled up short when he saw Armin. What was that pretty, delicate-looking boy doing with Levi?

Levi and Armin spoke easily, leaned back against the bricks outside of the club. Erwin felt that sick flush of emotion again.

It wasn’t a moment before Armin was solicited and walked, chatting with the man, into the alley. Erwin swooped down on Levi.

“Who was that?”

“Yeah, and hello to you, too. I’ve been fine.”

“Levi …”

“What’s it to ya, ya big fancy fucker? He’s a friend. He’s had a bit of trouble and he’s staying with me for a while.”

Erwin didn’t even know exactly where Levi lived, and Levi was letting this kid  _ stay  _ with him?

  
  


Erwin went back to his apartment and ate everything he could find. True, he didn’t keep much food there (because he knew himself) but he did have a fair amount of ‘safe’ foods and at least one guilty stash. He pulled the huge bag of chips out in triumph. Score!

Less than 15 minutes later he was over the toilet, one finger down his throat, purging everything.

He vomited until his face felt swollen and hot, he vomited until there was blood.

Finally, he stopped. There was nothing left that he could get up. It was just bile and spit at this point. His throat was on fire. His eyes watered and spilled tears down his cheeks.

  
  
  
  


The jealousy was all-consuming and white-hot. Erwin had never felt that way before. What had come over him, anyway? Levi was just a person (a friend?) an associate. A compatriot of sorts.

Erwin’s big hands balled into fists at his side. No. He wanted this. He wanted Levi. He wanted Levi all to himself.

Everything Erwin did was for his clients and nothing for Erwin himself.  _ Everything _ , the suits, the apartment, the gym were all for someone else. What did Erwin get out of it? Fine food and champagne? A huge place? Damn all that. What was all that to him when he just wanted to bum around in sweats and a t-shirt, eat burritos and drink beer like a normal person?

And he was so lonely. He didn’t have friends. Who would he talk to who knew about his job? He longed to just curl up on his couch with a cold one and watch some Netflix with somebody.

What good was his fine life without someone to share it with?

Erwin wanted somebody. Needed somebody.

Erwin wanted Levi.

  
  
  


Erwin was like a man possessed. He confronted Levi the next time he saw him. “Tell me the truth, are you and the blond boy sleeping together?”

“Me and Armin?” Levi snorted. “Armin and I have never done it. He’s not my type, plus he’s just a kid.”

Erwin didn’t look convinced. He scowled mightily. Levi crossed his arms.

“Look, I don’t know what this shit is but you don’t get to tell me who I can be with! You don’t get to be upset if I fuck somebody you don’t like. I already told you that. Armin’s a friend. He works the same beat as me, picks up the guys who want a twink they can manhandle. I don’t manhandle easily.”

Erwin glanced at Levi's sinewy arms and broad shoulders. That had to be true. He was still suspicious. He looked away feeling guilty and disgruntled. “Well, I guess I’d better go,” he muttered.

“I don’t vet those rich-ass pricks you fuck!” Levi said loudly as Erwin walked stiffly off.

Erwin knew this was true but it didn’t make him feel better.

He walked quickly, angry and confused and not quite sure why. He shoved both hands in his pockets and mulled it over. Why was he feeling this way? What was this? True, he liked being around Levi but that didn’t give him the right to interfere with his job. The man had to pay his rent and eat and he absolutely wouldn’t take a cent from Erwin which secretly irritated him no end. Why wouldn’t Levi let Erwin help him, damnit? Stubborn pride. That was it. Erwin’s hands clenched into fists at the thought of how very lean Levi was, how his collarbones and hipbones jutted out, how he wore the same clothes over and over, how frayed the cuffs and collars were on them.

He sighed. He had to do something about this. He jerked his hands out of his pockets and walked on quickly.

  
  
  


Erwin was becoming obsessed. Even he could see it. He no longer went by the little store that Levi frequented every now and then. He went by every night.

Often Levi hadn’t stopped in, his usual days were Fridays and Saturdays but that didn’t deter Erwin. One day he accidentally discovered that Levi used the tiny, ancient coin laundry next to the store to wash his clothes. The laundromat was open 24 hours and Erwin would find Levi there after the store next door had closed. He didn’t disturb him—too embarrassed to admit that he was stalking him—but hovered around in the darkness outside watching him through the big plate-glass windows.

Erwin watched as Levi plugged quarters into the machine (so many quarters. How many quarters did it take to wash a load of clothes, anyway?) then he seemed to come up short. He fished around in his pockets and Erwin had an overwhelming urge to bust in the place and take Levi away. Take him, take his clothes, and make sure he never ever had to collect quarters again to make sure his clothes were clean.

Eventually, Levi located another quarter and inserted it into the machine. He turned and sat on a hard fiberglass chair and prepared to watch his clothes wash. Erwin just watched, his heart breaking with love.


	8. Betrayal

Erwin was trying to figure out what he was going to do. He was seriously slipping. He either didn’t eat or threw up everything he ate. He wasn’t just getting thinner, he was getting ill. He was constantly cold and had the heat turned up in his condo to a ferocious level. His hair was getting dry as well as his skin. He couldn’t do his regular workouts at the gym without getting weak and shaky. He was haunting his place like a ghost.

What could he do? He couldn’t keep stalking Levi. He had to make a decision. A plan.

He was standing in his big, empty kitchen making a pot of coffee. Erwin hated coffee but it had no calories and a huge jolt of caffeine which kept him from being hungry. He was already jittery from all the cups he’d had that day.

He stared at his reflection in his cabinets. In the cabinet, with its intricate leaded panels, were plain china cups and saucers and dessert plates. They’d cost him a small fortune and he’d never used any of them save for one cup and one saucer. Just sad.

Was he just not enough for Levi? Not good enough for him? Or just not good  _ for _ him. He was pretty damaged. Pretty  _ and _ damaged. That wordplay made him snort.

He drew his fluffy robe tightly about himself and stared at the coffeemaker as it finished up.

It was several days before Erwin could coax a client to the Neptune club. He’d been to Club Titan twice but hadn’t seen Levi there.

When he was finally able to go to the Neptune he got out of the car, squinting in the bright neon lights and immediately looked around for Levi. To his delight, Levi was there. Erwin’s heart seemed ready to explode and he drank in the sight of the man slouching against the bricks next to the alley like usual.

Levi looked better than ever if that was possible. He was in his black t shirt and his black jeans that Erwin had bought for him and looked good like that. He looked dangerous and desirable.

Erwin made his way casually over to a few feet away from Levi and relaxed against the wall of the club. It was unusually warm but Erwin wore an expensive leather coat. He and Levi didn’t speak for a moment. They both just watched the crowd for a bit.

“I’ve missed you,” Erwin said.

Levi scratched his lip. He glanced at Erwin. “You look like shit.”

Erwin flinched and Levi noticed. He slid a bit closer.

“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. You just look … different. Tired and thin.”

Erwin self consciously ran his hands through his hair. It just would not hold a shine anymore. “I know.”

“Do you … are you …? Shit, I’m bad at this.” Levi took a deep breath. “Is there anything I can do?”

Erwin gaped at him. It was the sweetest thing Levi had ever said to him. He was touched. No, he was  _ thrilled _ . He couldn’t seem to get his brain to find words, though.

_ You can be with me. Love me. _

He absolutely couldn’t say that to Levi. He was terrified it would run him off. He smiled instead. “I’m fine. You look wonderful. Are you doing alright?” Erwin of course couldn’t tell him he had been watching him every day like a weirdo.

Levi shrugged. “Not bad.”

It was relaxed, friendly. Like they were friends. It felt good.

Little did they know that the night was about to go very, very sour.

Erwin’s client, axe-face, was the Judge, and was of some renown, the same one that had been with him the night Erwin had run Stockwell off. He didn’t seem to like the proximity of Levi to his paid date one little bit. He scowled. It looked unspeakably ugly.

See, the Judge was drunk and a drunk Judge was dangerous. He staggered up to Erwin as the other lounged casually against the wall next to Levi. Levi quickly drifted away, back into the alley.

“You talkin’ to that same gutter slut you were before?” the Judge slurred looking owlishly around for the disappeared Levi.

Erwin had to restrain himself and adjust his face not to show his displeasure at Levi being called such a name. He smiled placatingly, instead.

“Oh don’t be silly. I have no idea who you’re talking about, dear.”

The Judge wrestled his phone out of his jacket pocket and punched some numbers. “What are you doing sniffing around that scrawny common trash? You like him better than me? I can give you anything! What can he do for you? You’re making me look bad, Erwin.”

Erwin realized his error too late and he suddenly realized why his client was on the phone. Was the man jealous of Levi like Erwin was jealous of the men with Levi? No. No, not at all. He was angry that his highly paid toy was paying attention to someone else.

_ You’re making me look bad, Erwin. _

Erwin felt sick.  _ Look _ bad.

It didn’t take the nearby cops but a few minutes to arrive on the scene. When a man as famous and powerful as the Judge calls, the police jump.

“What are you doing?” Erwin said, faintly, as the cops swarmed the sidewalk. “ _ What have you done? _ ”

“Taken care of your little trashy piece of ass,” 

Erwin felt like screaming. It was like some horrible nightmare. Within minutes, the cops were cursing and manhandling someone out of the alley. Erwin turned just in time to see.

It was Levi, his hands secured behind his back, ankles hobbled together. Erwin rushed forward. Levi was struggling, fighting like an animal, his lips pulled back from his teeth in a helpless snarl. A police officer intercepted Erwin.

It was the chief of police—a testament to the Judge’s power that she herself showed up for the arrest of a common prostitute. The Chief, whom Erwin had once given four orgasms to in a row, smiled at him and took his hand fondly. “Erwin! You’re looking well,” she said. 

“Marta … that man …” 

“Don’t let it bother you, Erwin. He’s just a common hooker. We’ll have him out of the way in a minute.” 

“But …” 

“Just go on and enjoy your evening, dear.” She nodded to the Judge who nodded back

An officer urged Erwin back. “It’s OK, Sir, just you step back now. This little bit of filth is dangerous.”

Erwin wanted to punch the man in the face or at the very least yell at him how wrong he was. As Levi writhed he twisted in the two policemen’s grips and Erwin could see the black zip tie that bound his wrists, cutting into the soft pale skin there, skin Erwin had stroked.

Erwin opened his mouth to speak, to protest, something, when Levi was jerked back around. Levi caught sight of him.

“You bastard!” He screamed, lunging at Erwin and almost falling, “You fancy son-of-a-bitch! I knew I couldn’t trust you! You shitheel!” Levi turned to the police chief, “This guy’s a whore, too! Don’t let his fancy clothes fool ya!” The two policemen handling him began dragging him towards the cop car. “He sucks dick like a pro! I should know!”

Erwin met Levi’s gaze desperately.

“You did this, you fucker!” Levi yelled, “I will  _ never _ forgive you!”

Erwin averted his eyes as they stuffed Levi unceremoniously into the car and slammed the door. He could still hear Levi’s angry screams as the car pulled away.

The Judge fucked Erwin extra hard that night, hurting him as much as he thought he could get away with. Erwin responded with distracted—and faked—moans and came only when he closed his eyes and thought of Levi.

The judge, being smaller than Erwin, underweight, and pushing 70 couldn’t do too much and his attempt at being a fearsome stud with his half-hard dick was a farce at best. When he finally rolled off of Erwin he slapped his ass playfully.

“I guess you learned your lesson, eh, bitch?”

Erwin would never accept the Judge as a client again.

Erwin went straight to his condo afterwards and ate a pint of ice cream, vomited it up, and went straight to bed. He never did this. He always bathed after being with a client. He hated the smell of others on his skin. 

But not today. Today he bundled himself into his plush king-sized bed and pulled the sheets and duvet up over his head. He shivered even though he wasn’t cold and after a while, he cried. Not for himself. Yes, of course for himself. He’d betrayed the man he cared for. So he cried.

Erwin woke still exhausted even after sleeping, his lashes gummed together and tears and snot dried on his face. His mouth tasted like something had died in it. He hadn’t brushed his teeth. He lay up under the covers for several minutes just feeling miserable and sorry for himself. He didn’t know what to do. He had to go bail Levi out but knew that would only make the other man angrier at him.

He had to do it though.

As soon as he got out of his bed he stripped the sheets and duvet cover and dumped them into the washing machine. He headed for the bathroom.

In the lavish shower, in the steam from the hot water, Erwin fisted his own dick and jerked off, tears falling afresh down his cheeks, thinking of Levi.

Erwin had paid Levi’s bail but wasn’t there when he was released. Instead he called his cell and texted multiple times. After a day he gave up. He knew Levi was incredibly angry with him. This worried him but he assumed he’d see the man on the streets after a few days. He had to work.

After four days Erwin was beyond worried. He had taken to walking the alleys off of Maria St and had even shown up at Canal and East Wall twice. He found no trace of Levi.

Erwin stopped eating entirely, subsisting on Diet Coke and Monster Zero Ultra. He desperately tried to get the police to give him the other man’s address but they refused. He filed a missing person report but had almost no information to put down. When he revealed Levi’s occupation the officer had simply shaken his head. “Prostitutes disappear all the time. Nobody knows what happens to them. Killed by a john, or their pimp, drug overdose, or they just move on.” 

Erwin had left the station grim-faced and with his jaw set. He  _ would _ find Levi.


	9. Right There All The Time

One week from the time Erwin bailed Levi out, Erwin was haunting the corner of Canal and East Wall. It was almost midnight and this was the fourth or fifth time he’d been here, looking, waiting for Levi. He was frantic. He was  _ way _ past ready to do something crazy.

His next move was to simply arrive early on a Saturday and knock on every single damned door in the neighborhood. He was prepared to do it.

Abruptly he saw movement along Canal St. It was a woman, middle-aged and carrying a sleeping toddler. Erwin had asked every other human being he’d seen on the street in the area. He approached her. She shrank back against the bricks, clutching the child to her chest.

“I ain’t done nuthin’ t’you!” she said.

“I mean you no harm. I’m looking for someone.”

“Ain’t seen no one. Just got offa work.”

“No, he lives around here. Small man, black hair, pale skin?”

Erwin backed up a pace to be less intimidating and the woman hesitated. She looked furtively right and left. She had no escape.

“Tell me,” Erwin said softly but firmly.

“You mean that man-hoor!” the woman spat. “Him what does stuff with other men. Affront against god that is!”

Dear god she knew him. Erwin took a deep, steadying breath. “And where does he live?”

“You goin’ to do some business with him?” the woman asked suspiciously.

_ “Where does he live?!” _

The woman squeaked in fear and the toddler woke with a bawl. “Above the butcher shop. Now let me go, you pervert!”

Erwin stood aside as the woman hurried past him, clutching her weeping child and sending glances back at him as if he’d follow her.

“Above the butcher’s shop,” Erwin said to himself. “He was right there all the time.”

It was just before dawn when Erwin mounted the steps up to the apartments above the butcher’s shop. There were four doors at the top of the stairs there and Erwin was determined to knock on all of them. 

The first was a wizened old woman who told him to “mind his own pissing business.”

The second—with the name ‘Stanislav’ next to the door—was a mother whose dark-haired brood clung to her skirt as she refused to speak to him. 

The third was a bachelor who was up and dressed and gestured at the fourth door unhelpfully. “He’s always up early, too,” he said.

Erwin knocked on the fourth door. There was no reply. He pounded on it. The tenants of two and three both cracked their doors to stare at him.

He pounded again.

“Fuck off!” came the faint response.

Erwin thumped on the door again, “Levi,” He roared, “open this door or I swear to god I’ll break it down!” 

The door opened suddenly and with a prolonged creak. Levi hung there, on the door frame looking pale and skinny and ill.

“Calm your tits, you fucking psycho.”

“Levi! Why haven’t you answered your texts or your phone?”

Levi coughed wetly into the crook of his elbow. “Because we’re not friends, asshole, remember? You had me arrested, you fucker. 

“Levi, please! It was a mistake. It was my client. I’m so sorry!”

“Get over it. We were never friends and—” another coughing spell overtook him and when it was over Levi seemed to have forgotten what he was saying. Erwin noticed that Levi had on both the rust-colored sweater with the hoodie over it. He drew the hoodie around himself and shivered.

“Well fuck off or come in,” he said, then, almost to himself “I gotta get out of this doorway, I’m freezing.” He turned and retreated into the flat. Erwin followed tentatively.

“Are you sick? You look terrible.”

“Thanks a bunch, dickwad. You look like shit yourself. Have you lost even more weight?” 

Erwin flinched. 

“I’m tellin’ ya, it’s just a cold. I caught it in the fucking lock-up,” again the wet cough. Levi made a beeline for a pot of tea and a cup steaming on the table. He picked up the cup in both hands and sipped the hot liquid.

Erwin took a moment to take in the apartment. It was a single small room, just big enough for a twin bed, a small table, a couch, and a sink. The bathroom was out down the hall and shared.

The room was painfully empty and excruciatingly clean. There was an iron pipe on which hung a pair of jeans, and a single t-shirt—the new one Erwin had bought for him. With a jolt, Erwin realized that Levi must be wearing most of his clothes. It was warm and stuffy in the apartment, why was Levi dressed in layers and shivering?

“You falling asleep over there, you fucker? Are we done? Cuz you can go now.”

Erwin turned to Levi who stood at the tiny table, pale and drawn, hands shaking slightly. Erwin’s mind whirled.

“What?” Levi snapped.

“When’s the last time you ate?”

That seemed to take Levi aback. He pinched at the cracked skin on his lips for a second then recovered.

“None of your business! I could ask you the same thing! Now get out! I can take care of myself!”

Erwin held his hands up in a placating, pleading gesture, “Levi, if you’ve been sick and haven’t worked, how have you bought food? When’s the last time you ate?! I think you’re running a fever.”

“Don’t you worry about it, Blondie! My rent is paid and I have plenty of tea. It’s just a cold! I’ll be back to work soon.” Again he clutched the hoodie tight around his body and shivered. “Get out! I swear I’ll call the cops on  _ you _ this time!”

Erwin straightened his back and crossed his arms over his chest making himself look big. “Then call the cops. I’m taking you to a doctor.”

Levi looked almost frightened. “What? No! I can’t afford that!”

“I’m paying.”

“No, you fancy bastard. I don’t need you. It’s just a cold! You can’t make me go!” He began hunting weakly around the room, “Where’s my phone? I swear I’m calling the cops!”

“Levi …”

“I mean it, asshole! You’re not taking me to some filthy urgent care or … or emergency room! I could catch something that’d kill me!” He was overtaken at this point by a long coughing jag and Erwin held onto his shoulders while he coughed. Erwin was stunned at how frail and thin he was. He carefully guided Levi to the bed and pushed him to sit down. Levi was clearly winded after the coughing fit and was silent except for gasping, pained sounding breaths.

Erwin crouched next to the bed. He took Levi’s hand in his. It was fiery hot to the touch and the palm was clammy.

“Levi, how about this? How about I ask my own personal physician to come here? He makes house calls.”

Levi looked warily at him. His eyes were bloodshot and his skin looked almost translucent with dark purple smudges under each eye.

“I can take care of myself,” Levi said, almost plaintively.

“I know, but let me take care of you this time. To make up for what happened.”

Levi picked at his lips again. Finally, he nodded.


	10. We

“He has pneumonia,” the doctor said, straightening. “I suspect he caught the flu and it progressed from there.”

“How dangerous is it?”

“Very. He needs rest and fluids and these,” He handed Erwin a handful of prescriptions. “Watch his breathing.” The doctor then took Erwin by the arm and steered him away from the bed. His voice dropped.

“Erwin, are you sure you want to be wasting your time on a … person like this?”

Erwin’s eyes turned icy. “Yes, I’m sure. Thank you for your help. Make sure you bill me.”

Erwin knew nothing about cooking—he could make fried egg whites in a pinch—but he had the numbers of some very nice restaurants. He called around and explained that he had an invalid to feed and many of the traditional restaurants happily stepped up with broth made with beef marrow and hot porridge with salt and real butter. He solicited Mrs. Stanislov in 2 with a handful of twenties and she reluctantly agreed to cook them some meals.

  
  


Later Erwin sat on the edge of Levi’s tiny hard bed, holding his hand. Levi rolled his head back and forth on his damp pillow. Erwin carefully wiped off his face with a cool cloth and Levi’s midnight black hair was sticking to his forehead making his already pale skin look even more ghostly. His breath sounded loud and harsh in the room.

“I’ll go get you some cold water,” Erwin said.

Levi grabbed his hand. “No … stay with me … please. Talk to me.”

“About what?”

“Anything.” Again a gasping breath. “How did you know the doctor made house calls? That’s rare nowadays, isn’t it?” He devolved into a wracking coughing jag.

A darkness passed over Erwin’s eyes. He settled himself more comfortably on the edge of the bed and took a big breath. “Well, when I first got started doing … what I do … I wasn’t as careful as I am now and I allowed a client a private BDSM session …” Erwin played with the edge of the duvet for a moment. Levi watched him with feverish eyes.

“He tied me up, ignored my safeword, beat me, and raped me. Repeatedly.”

“Jesus Christ, Erwin.”

Erwin shrugged. “I was in pretty bad shape. The doc knows what I do and he agreed to come to my apartment.” He shrugged again. “I learned something important that day; never trust a client.”

Erwin squeezed out the rag and applied it to Levi’s head. “How about you?”

“I’ve been beat up a few times, but nothing too bad. I was raped by two guys once.”

“Oh, Levi, I’m sorry.”

“That was when I started carrying my knife.”

Ewin sighed suddenly and tossed the rag back into the water bowl. “Why do we do this job?”

Levi wiped his runny nose on his sleeve. “I do it because I was homeless after I had to quit college and no one would hire a dirty homeless guy with only one set of clothes.”

“You went to college?”

“Three years.”

“Oh my god! For what?”

“I wanted to be a teacher.”

“Why did you quit?”

“My uncle went to the pen. He was helping me pay for school and letting me crash at his place. His debts took the house and everything else and … well ...”

“I’m so sorry, Levi.”

He got up and refilled the bowl with fresh cool water, returning quickly to the edge of the bed.

“Aren’t you … aren’t you afraid?”

“Afraid of what?”

“Well, diseases, or getting hurt. I mean, having sex with strange men in alleys …”

“Hey, you dickhead. Fuck you. How’s it that much different from having sex with strange men in fancy hotel rooms?”

Erwin studied his clasped hands. Levi had a point.

“Besides,” Levi said, a bit more gently, “I always used condoms and I get tested at Planned Parenthood every month.”

“What about getting hurt?”

Levi traced the pattern of the old quilt that he used on his bed. “Like I said. I’ve been roughed up a few times.”

  
  


Erwin was dozing fitfully in the hard straight chair next to Levi’s bed when he awoke close to midnight. He anxiously checked on Levi in a fit of paranoia and was glad he had woken. Even as he opened his eyes he could hear the frame of the bed chattering against the wall. Weirdly his mind turned to episodes of X-Files and alien abductions as he straightened he could see the fragile old metal frame bed shaking. 

Levi had all of the covers dragged up to his nose and he was trembling violently.

“Levi?”

“Free...freezing,” Levi said, teeth chattering.

Erwin felt his head. He was burning up.

“I need more clothes …” 

“No, Levi. That’s dangerous. It’s the fever. You’re not really cold. You have chills.”

“Blanket.”

“No Levi. Here, let me put the cloth on your head. It’ll help.”

“NO!” Levi swiped clumsily at the cloth, knocking Erwin’s hand away and sweeping the bowl of water onto the floor. “I’m co-co-cold!”

Erwin sighed.

“Here, let me …”

He slipped into the bed, under the covers, spooning with the smaller man, both men barely fitting in the narrow bed. Levi felt like a furnace and was stiff as a board. “Don’t even think of-of t-trying anyth-thing, pervert.”

Eventually, he relaxed, slumping against Erwin’s broad body.

“Ahh …”

As Levi relaxed he dozed and Erwin was able to pull all the covers back but the sheet to give his feverish body some much needed cool. He continued to cuddle with him, though, even though his arm and legs stuck to the other man’s clammy skin with sweat. Perhaps in the morning he’d attempt to talk Levi into a lukewarm bath.

Levi actually woke in the bathtub.

The communal bath for his floor was at the end of the hall, crammed in with a sink and a toilet. The four flats used the same facilities. The tub was old, from the turn of the last century, heavy and deep and claw-footed. When Levi awoke he was not immediately startled at being in water but was overwhelmed by how much better he felt. The water only came up to his hips and was lukewarm but it felt good. He no longer felt that he was alternately freezing and burning up. His fever must have broken.

He lifted his head and looked blearily around. Erwin was there, knelt in the small space between the tub and the toilet and the sink, gently rubbing a cloth over Levi’s skin. Levi realized suddenly that he was naked. He immediately felt embarrassed which was odd considering he’d fucked the other man. But there was something vulnerable about being sick, something that made Levi feel small and unprotected. He flinched and instinctively covered his crotch. Erwin looked up into his face. 

“Oh! You’re back with us,” He smiled warmly, “Good! How do you feel?”

“Feel fine,” he mumbled, “I’m … I’m naked.”

Erwin’s impressive brows drew together, “Well you’re in the bath,” he said reasonably. He sat back. “Levi, this isn’t the first time I’ve bathed you. I had to wipe you off when you had your fever.”

Levi tried to look anywhere but at Erwin but the man ducked his head and caught Levi’s gaze. “I  _ have _ seen everything before, you know.”

Levi chewed on his lip. “Where’d you learn all this anyway?” he deflected, “was your dad a doctor?”

Erwin smiled sadly. “He was a teacher. My mom was a midwife, though. I used to go with her when she visited the elderly who couldn’t get out on their own. Ready to get out?”

“Yeah, I’m getting pruney.”

Erwin helped Levi back down the hall and into the flat.

Major was screeching and whistling at the wild birds outside.

“Don’t worry, I’ve been feeding and watering him. He’s a cheerful little thing but I don’t think he likes me. Will you eat some soup?” Erwin asked.

“Will you eat some with me?”

Erwin smiled. “I will. I promise.”

They sat at Levi’s table sipping the rich soup. It was full of vegetables and Levi ate voraciously. He eyeballed Erwin who was eating slowly and seemed to be savoring every bite.

“Don’t you dare go to the bathroom after this.”

Erwin startled. “Why?” he asked cautiously.

“I know what you do. You eat, then yark it all up, don’t you?”

Erwin couldn’t say anything. He felt violated, exposed. “How … how did you …?”

Levi held up his phone. “I looked it up. You have an eating disorder don’t you? Are you anorexic?”

“It’s … Bulimia.”

“Have you always been this way?”

Erwin stared at his soup, suddenly wanting to get up and throw it away. He shoved the thought out of his head. “It just started recently. Maybe a few years ago.”

“ _ Years?  _ You’ve been doing this for  _ years?” _

Erwin nodded. His soul felt like an open wound. He’d never,  _ ever _ spoken about his disorder to anyone.

“I don’t do it because I want to!” he blurted. “It’s a disease. I can’t control it.”

Control. 

Erwin shuddered. He forced himself to eat a spoonful of the soup.

“Can you get help for it? Drugs? Therapy? Can we overcome it?”

“Oh, Levi. ‘We?’”

“Of course. I want to help you, Erwin.”

Tears dripped down Erwin’s face.


	11. Scraping By

It was a Tuesday morning, early, when a knock sounded on the door. Levi, on the couch, reading, and Erwin, at the sink washing up the breakfast dishes (Erwin refused to let Levi clean up after cooking, insisting that he just relax,) didn’t react much. Mrs. Stanislav often dropped off food early in the morning or asked them to watch her youngest ones if she had an errand.

Erwin immediately dried his hands but Levi struggled up and crossed to the door. He opened it wide. A uniformed police officer stood there.

Levi froze, frightened. Erwin, similarly, was motionless.

_ What had they done? _

“Mr. Levi Ackerman?”

Levi swallowed hard, his throat clicking. Erwin crossed to the door, standing behind Levi.

Levi cleared his throat. “I’m … uh, Levi Ackerman.”

The officer looked down at his notebook then back up. His gaze was intimidating. “I need to ask you to come down to the station with me.”

“What have I done?” Levi hated how small and scared his voice sounded. He coughed harshly and Erwin rested a big hand on his shoulder. Levi reached up to place his over Erwin’s.

“What’s this all about, officer?” Erwin asked.

The cop looked narrowly at their hands, resting together. “Mr. Ackerman needs to give a statement. He is a person of interest in a crime. A Mr. Armin Arlert was found dead last night beside a dumpster off of 45th street.”

Levi sagged. “Armin?”

Erwin’s hand gripped harder, almost holding Levi up.

“Oh, shit. Armin. Are you sure it’s him?”

The officer nodded. “We’re sure. Can you come with me?”

“He’s ill,” Erwin said. “Recovering from pneumonia. Can’t he give his statement here?”

The officer looked unsure. He took in Levi’s pale face and skinny frame and hesitated.

Erwin drew himself up to his full height, towering over the officer and dwarfing Levi. “Has Mr. Ackerman been charged with a crime? Is he a suspect?”

The officer looked down at his pad. He seemed to recover somewhat. “Mr. Ackerman is not a suspect. He does need to give a statement, though.”

“Can you take it here?”

“I want to help,” Levi added, “but can we do it here?”

The officer nodded. “May I come in?”

Erwin stepped back, tugging Levi by his shoulders out of the doorway.

The young policeman stepped into the apartment and looked around the room.

Levi stumbled to the couch and sat heavily.

“Tea?” Erwin asked.

The officer appeared startled. “No … no thank you.”

Levi gave his statement as calmly as he could. No, he’d had no idea Armin was dead. Yes, he knew Armin was a prostitute. No, they had never argued—they were friends. When asked what he did for a living he answered “unemployed.”

The officer asked if Levi knew Armin’s next of kin. Levi knew of him but had no name or address. He told him every detail he knew of of Zackly, though, even his address.

“Do you … can you tell me how he died?” Levi asked eventually.

“He was badly beaten but they think the cause of death was strangulation.”

Levi put his face in his hands and sobbed. Erwin, sat on the arm of the couch, rubbed his back soothingly while he cried.

The officer took his leave soon after.

  
  


Levi was not OK.

Erwin gave him his space and made him tea—carefully, as Levi had shown him—and brought it to him. “Do you want to talk?”

Levi had pulled himself together and seemed calm, but his eyes were red. He shook his head. Erwin moved back towards the sink.

“I should have done more,” Levi said suddenly, quietly.

Erwin turned, almost angrily. “How? How could you have?”

“I should have contacted the police.”

Erwin debated how to respond. They hadn’t ever spoken about Armin. He calmed himself and began putting up the tea things. “Why didn’t you?”

“Armin begged me not to.” Levi dragged a hand over his eyes. “I was trying to respect his wishes and … and I was afraid that if i called them it would just have made things worse for Armin because I knew he would just go back to that fucker.” Levi’s hands balled into fists. “That fucker …”

Armin's father refused to have anything to do with Armin’s body so the authorities buried him in a plain pine box in a desolate ‘Pauper’s lot’ outside of town used for that purpose. Erwin and Levi attended—the only people there aside from the two employees. There were no flowers, save a tiny bouquet that Levi had brought, no service, nothing.

They walked back towards town afterwards. Both were silent. It had gotten bitterly cold and the sky seemed to press down on them, leaden and grey.

  
  
  


Days passed and Levi got slowly better. They were informed by the police that Zackly was implicated in Armin’s murder and that brought some closure. At the end of three weeks Levi was well and Erwin was out of money. Between paying the doctor and buying medicine, Erwin was broke. He hadn’t worked in all that time.

Levi was cleaning the kitchenette and Erwin was finishing up the dishes when Erwin spoke. “Levi, we have to talk about what I’m going to do.”

Levi was acutely aware of the money situation. He slowly stilled where he was scrubbing the countertop. He wouldn’t meet Erwin’s eyes. “Do?”

“The lease on my condo is up at the end of the month. That’s just a few days. I … I can’t afford to renew it.”

Levi dumped out the water in his bucket and refilled it. He fiddled with the lid to the cleanser. “You … you could stay here.”

Erwin was stunned, pleased. “Levi, do you mean it?”

Levi shrugged and tipped the cleanser into the bucket. “You’ve been here all this time.”

Erwin beamed. He dried the last of the dishes. “I’m going out today to get a job.”

Levi shrank in on himself and Erwin noticed. He laid a hand on Levi’s arm, forcing him to look up. “No. Not  _ that _ type of job. I mean a real job. I’m not doing that type of work any more.”

Levi looked alarmed. “But … you can’t give up your job for me. You make good money!”

Erwin wrapped the dishrag around and around his fingers. “I’ve made up my mind. Levi … I don’t want to sleep with anybody else.”

“Anybody  _ else _ ?”

“But you.”

Levi flushed and sputtered a bit. Finally, he shot back with his old standby: rudeness. “Well … well … that‘s up to  _ you _ . Good luck finding work. What if … what if I don’t want to quit?!”

Erwin sighed softly. “Then that’s up to you,”

Levi frowned at the torn linoleum on the floor.

Erwin smiled sadly. “Look, Levi. I will never ask you to do something you don’t want to or vice-versa. If you want to keep working then do. I won’t stand here and say I’m happy about it, though.”

“You’re ashamed of me …”

“Absolutely not! Levi, I like you just as you are! I want you to quit because it’s  _ wrong _ .” Levi gaped up at him and Erwin scowled and ran his hand through his hair. “No. I didn’t mean it like that. There’s nothing wrong with sex work. But in your situation … you get used and degraded and … because you’re poor and have no power, people think they can abuse you.” Erwin’s big hands curled into fists. “It makes me so angry!”

Levi reached out then and patted Erwin’s chest. His arm was so thin and pale that it broke Erwin’s heart. “Let me think about it, OK?”

Erwin got a job quickly down at the docks, unloading ships. The foreman at first had hesitated because Erwin, despite his size, had gotten very skinny but he took a chance anyway. Levi got a job at the one tawdry local florists shop sweeping floors and taking out trash and another washing dishes at night in a diner. Neither made much money at all but it was work and between the two of them they managed to squeak by without turning tricks.

  
  


Erwin gave up on his condo and moved in with Levi.

“This place isn’t big enough for you, you titan, and Major hates you,” Levi grumbled.

“It’s called saving money, and you suggested it, now hush. Do you want Spaghettios or soup?”

Levi actually salivated. He sat up in his chair. “You have Spaghettios? With meatballs?”

Erwin held up the can and waggled it enticingly. “You can have the whole can.”

“For real? Wait, what are you eating?” he asked suspiciously.

“Miso soup and rice cakes with light cream cheese.”

“Yuck.” He pointed at the rice cakes. “That’s not food. Those are just styrofoam disks.”

“Only 35 calories apiece.” Erwin immediately flinched at Levi’s stern look. “Baby steps, remember?”

Levi sighed and nodded. “OK, OK. Say, does it strike you as funny that I’m skinny because I  _ couldn’t _ eat and you’re skinny because you  _ didn’t _ eat?”

Erwin smiled wryly, “It’s occurred to me. All the perfectly good food that I’ve thrown away or vomited up. And you were just a few blocks away.”

“Weird. Also, eww. You made it sound like you wanted to feed me regurgitated food like a momma bird.”

Erwin threw back his head and laughed. Major screeched.


	12. The Color of Avocado and Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are. The end. I want to thank my incredible, devoted readers. Your feedback has really made this fic special to me! If you're just now wandering by, hello! Kudos are much appreciated and comments are adored!
> 
> Be safe and happy everyone!

“I think you’re getting some weight on you,” Levi said approvingly one day as they ate. When he looked up he actually dropped his spoon back into his ramen.

Erwin looked  _ mortified _ .

Levi didn’t know what to say, what to do. He hadn’t meant anything bad at all but now he had to dig his ass out of this hole. He had triggered Erwin without meaning to.

Erwin stood abruptly with his soup bowl. He walked to the sink and hesitated, staring down into it. Levi waited tensely. He’d caused this. Was Erwin going to throw his food down the drain?

He searched his brain. This was not Erwin. This was Erwin’s disordered eating.

Levi went with what he knew: the cold truth. He deliberately took a huge spoonful of the soup and smacked his lips. “I like it. I mean you’re just getting hotter and hotter.”

Erwin stared at his bowlful of soup, over half full. Time stretched out, brittle.

“This soup is good. What did you call it?”

Levi knew very well what the dish was. Erwin had been experimenting with cooking and everything had turned out excellent so far.

“Egg Drop,” Erwin said, faintly.

“How did you make it?”

“It’s easy.” Erwin’s clenched shoulders lowered slightly as he got caught up in the explanation. “You boil the chicken broth and stir an egg in slowly. Then I added ramen to yours. Without the noodles it’s only 70 calories a serving.” He flinched and looked at the floor.

Levi kept himself from sighing. “I love it. It’s good. You’re a great cook. Ohh! You should go to school for cooking!”

Erwin stared at him. Chefs didn’t have to be beautiful.

“You … you think?”

Levi noisily finished his meal and came toward the sink to stand shoulder to shoulder with Erwin. He looked up at him.

“You know that you are gorgeous and perfect, right?”

“No …”

“You  _ are _ . You just are. You're the kindest, most handsome man I’ve ever met.” Levi began washing his bowl, ignoring Erwin’s. “It would be really easy to … uh, get to like you a lot,” he said quietly. He finished the bowl up and rinsed it, started fiercely on the spoon. Spots of color stained his face high up on his cheekbones. “And I do.”

He looked up at Erwin again. Erwin’s eyes were watery. “And I do,” he repeated. He gestured at Erwin’s bowl. “Want me to put that up for later?”

Erwin looked like he was steeling himself. “No.” 

Levi’s heart sank.

“I think I’ll eat a bit more on it.”

Levi’s shining, tiny, crooked smile made Erwin’s heart feel like it was too big for his chest. He sat back down and lifted his spoon with determination.

  
  


The days passed slowly. Erwin was recovering, was teaching himself how to eat, how to not be terrified of food. He still had fear foods—like bread and pasta—that he refused to touch but he and Levi took turns cooking and could afford a little meat and good, fresh vegetables. They both slowly gained a little healthy weight.

They shopped at the little store, washed their clothes together at the laundromat, and took long walks by the canal, Erwin pointing out the boats and their cargo that he helped unload. Levi bought a tiny second-hand TV and sprang for Netflix and Amazon and Disney+ with their earnings. They sat around most evenings after Levi got home just chilling on the couch and talking and watching. Erwin discovered that Levi liked horror films and Levi discovered that Erwin loved cheesy romances. Levi watched Erwin’s love stories and laughed and Erwin watched slasher films and hid his face in Levi’s shoulder. They made out on the couch, the TV forgotten most nights, kisses lingering, hands wandering.

It had been about a week since Levi had gotten well and it was Sunday and they were both off. Sundays were inevitably lazy days and they rarely went out except for their weekly trip to the canal so Levi could hit up the street vendors. They’d already been out and Levi was sitting up on his bed reading when Erwin got back from taking his bath.

He walked over to their shared chest of drawers and rummaged around for clean clothes. As he stripped off his t shirt and sweats Levi paused his reading to admire Erwin’s taut frame. He’d put on weight from eating and muscle from working at the docks and was starting to look the part of dockworker. For a brief moment Levi actually felt sorry for the shiny elite who were living without this special man.

Levi smiled. No. He was all his now. His eyes wandered over Erwin again.

Erwin had always had a preference for white underpants and the upside of this was that the spandex/nylon fabric was thin and Levi could see every juicy inch of the man’s cock. He shifted on the bed, surreptitiously dropping a hand to his crotch to adjust himself.

Erwin caught his glance and movement. He smiled. “You OK?”

Levi growled at that and palmed himself. “Wanna fuck you again.”

Erwin seemed startled. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Are you sure it’s alright?”

“Levi, if you’re asking if I want to make love with you, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’!”

Levi’s eyelids fell to hood his eyes and he slowly looked over Erwin, letting his gaze linger on every dip and curve. “Take those drawers off, then.” He stroked himself. “Slow.”

Erwin grinned. He’d done many a strip tease in his day.

He still had his sweatpants in his hand and he made a great show of turning slowly, toward the hamper and bending over slightly showing his plump ass through the fabric of the underpants. As he bent, the nylon stretched and Levi groaned. Erwin tossed the sweats haphazardly and reached back to run his fingers under the leg bands of the underpants and adjust them, pulling downward, stretching the material.

“Fuck, Erwin.”

Erwin wriggled his hips slightly, still pulling and the crack of his ass appeared over the waistband. He paused to casually run his hand down the cleft and Levi rustled on the bed.

Erwin glanced over his shoulder. Levi had his cock out and in his hand, his gaze glued to Erwin’s ass.

“I’ve wanted you all this time, Levi.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.”

He turned very very slowly, showing his thick cock again, now semi-hard. Levi sucked in a sharp breath.

“My, you’re horny, aren’t you?” Erwin said teasingly.

“Ya think?” Levi gave his cock a smooth pull and it was Erwin’s turn to stare. Clearing his throat he sent his hand down the front of his crotch, just a slow rub.

Hooking his thumbs again in the waistband, he shimmied, working the fabric down.

His dark blond pubic hair appeared first and he stroked his fingers through it then worked downward, under the elastic, palming his cock. It stiffened more under his hand, starting to tent the stretchy material.

Neither man took his gaze off of the other’s cock.

Finally, Erwin tugged his underwear all the way down.

His cock, too heavy to stand up, stood at a 45 degree angle downward from his body, bobbing slightly.

Levi moaned and Erwin saw that he had a death grip on the base of his own member, trying to slow himself down. The mushroom head of his penis strained, shiny with the skin stretched over it. A fat bead of pre-cum welled out of the tip.

Erwin turned to wriggle completely out of his underpants, bending deeply and giving Levi a fine look at his pink asshole and his heavy balls dangling down below.

“You’d … you’d better get over here, handsome, or I’m gonna be finished before we start.” Levi growled.

Erwin stalked toward the bed.

“God, you’re so perfect,'' Levi murmured, fondling his own balls, kneading.

Erwin flushed with pleasure and hovered over Levi on the bed. “How do you want it?”

“Ride me. Fucking ride me. God, I’m not gonna last long.”

“We’ll break the bed,” Erwin laughed.

“Then let’s fucking break it. I’ll sleep on my mattress on the floor. I need you.”

Erwin put one knee on the edge of the bed alongside Levi and threw the other over his hips. He leaned forward.

They kissed greedily, their hands on each other’s face. Erwin rolled his hips, running Levi's cock up and down his crack.

Levi broke off to gasp. “Fuck! I could come just from that!”

“Now, now. Give a guy a chance. Don’t you want this ass?”

“Fuck yeah.” Levi groped around the nightstand till he encountered the drawer and jerked it out. He felt around for the lube.

“Condom?”

“I don’t see why,’ Erwin said. “We both know we’re clean.”

“Jesus, fuck, yes.”

He handed Erwin the lube and lay tensely watching Erwin’s face as he spread it.

The smell of almonds wafted up and Erwin paused to examine the bottle of lube. He looked at Levi.

Levi shrugged. “I may have liberated a few bottles after the sex show.”

Erwin laughed delightedly and continued to spread the slippery stuff.

When he finally grasped Levi’s dick to coat it with lube the man hissed.

“C’mon … c’mon.’ Levi panted.

“Patience, love.”

Levi’s eyes snapped to Erwin’s face at the unexpected word.

“Love?”

Erwin nodded firmly. “Yes. ‘Love.’ I love you, Levi.”

Levi just stared, mouth slightly open.

“I … I love you, to-AHH!”

Erwin had sunk onto Levi's cock. He paused a moment, eyes closed, to adjust—it had been a while—while Levi tried his best to keep still.

It felt so good. Not rushed or forced, just plain good. Erwin wanted more. He let himself sink lower, biting his lip at the burn and loving it at the same time.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Levi said anxiously.

Erwin’s eyes shot open. No one, no one, had ever said that to him before. He slipped downward, seating himself fully, and sighed happily.

They were coming home one evening—Levi usually walked down to the docks after his shift to meet Erwin so they could walk home together—when Levi abruptly took Erwin’s hand, entwining their fingers. Erwin actually stared down at their joined hands in shock. He looked into Levi’s face. Levi scratched his jaw with his free hand and shrugged, embarrassed. “I said I loved you, didn’t I?”

Erwin’s heart was suddenly too full. He could barely grasp how happy he was right then. Happy with his tiny home, his job, and, of course, with Levi.

Without warning he grasped Levi’s hand hard and dragged him sideways. Levi had no choice but to follow and stumbled into the alleyway behind him.

“The fuck, Erwin? Have you lost your mind?”

Erwins hand strayed to the front of Levi’s trousers. “How about a little action, big boy?” He grinned and crouched down, his face level with Levi’s belly button.

“You gonna pay me?” Levi asked with a small smile and bent down and kissed him.

“You know it. I always pay for quality.”

“Tch. Ya big flirt.”

Erwin slowly tugged down Levi’s zip.

  
  
  


“C’mon, Erwin. Can I open my eyes now?”

“Not yet!”

Levi was standing in the middle of the apartment with both hands over his eyes as requested by Erwin. There was a rustle and a thump.

“Erwin!”

“OK, OK, now!”

Levi opened his eyes to find Erwin standing proudly over a beat-up second-hand washing machine in the excruciating color of avocado.

Levi was speechless. They didn’t even have a hook-up for it. They’d have to attach it to the sink.

Erwin’s happy grin faded. “Do you not like it? Sorry about the color …”

Levi snapped his mouth closed. “Does it work?”

“Like a charm!”

“How much did it cost?”

“40.” Erwin chewed his lip. “One owner, excellent brand, no leaks, has never given a lick of trouble …”

Levi turned to Erwin and took a deep breath. A tiny smile turned up his lips. 

“I LOVE IT!” he threw himself into Erwin’s arms.


End file.
